Lore/Story The Legend of Bob Chapter 4 - Daggers and Dust Part 2

The longest chapter yet, but not the last. Instead, this one has all the miniature components of a novel, but it chronicles only part of Robert's journey.

This chapter is longer than all the other chapters combined, so I had to split it in half. It feels more professional to place the other half in a different thread, so I hope I'm not breaking the rules too much. (25,000 words are in this chapter total, more than half of the total novel count of 42,900)

Part 1 of this chapter is here:
https://forums.wynncraft.com/threads/the-legend-of-bob-chapter-4-daggers-and-dust-part-1.302634/

Spoiler: Daggers and Dust Part 2.1

Daggers and Dust Part 2.1

The charcoal scratched the bottom of the page, filling it to the edge. Robert gripped it evenly, used to the feel of the rough mineral, after a few years. Wow, was it really that long? Robert could remember that time easily, when Chak introduced him to the library and Robert had chosen himself this writing method over ink simply because it was easier for him and quicker than the style of flowing ink.

He flipped the page, writing the next few sentences about the desert. After all his travels throughout the area, he found that he enjoyed writing the chronology of the places he had visited, even if he was not going to share his writings with anybody except Chak.

He remembered that time when he first met Chak. He had believed him to be a mythical warrior, who fought daily against the Corruption, but instead he had seemed old and lazy, more like a king than a soldier. His success looked to Robert like it was bought with riches and power.

But as Robert came to know the man, he found that he was much more... worthy of the title of master. He spent his time staying well-conditioned and training the next generation of weapon masters, even if most of his focus was on Robert. He showed kindness to random strangers in Almuj, giving extra coins away and thanking the shopkeepers. And he had done so much for Robert. The first few weeks might have been hard physically, but Robert had discovered that this level of discipline made Robert improve quickly, and Chak had given him a place to stay, food, money, and clothing. The young man now had a much better livelihood than his time with Momo.

Momo tried the best she could. And I am so sorry.

Robert would never admit what he did. And he wished he could forget it. But he knew he needed to make amends for leaving Momo.

The charcoal writing instrument was practically going on autopilot. The user's mind raced, recalling his past. Despite trying to focus on the task at hand, he let himself slip into his memories and soon the past scalded him with icy darkness.

Robert had just barely finished his training session with the soldiers. He was tired and hot after a long session. Momo retrieved him and they walked home together, temporarily in silence.

"Momo, why do I need to do this every week? It's so exhausting that I almost just want to lie down here on the grass and take the longest nap everrr." He whined.

Momo took his hand. "Just remember my child, we need to be safe from any danger that might befall us."

Robert convinced Momo to let him skip a week. He had briefly wondered in the past if that training would've kept him safer, maybe able to save Momo.

The logical side of Robert brushed that off. If he was home much earlier, he would have saved Momo, and he would not have done the terrible deed he did.

He shook away regrets with quite a bit of effort, and focused on his writing. But the phrase in the middle of the page stole his attention.

I killed her. I murdered Momo.

The dusty old library felt quieter than ever, Robert staring in anguish at the words he had written. It had been a really hard few years, Chak unready to handle an emotionally scarred apprentice, and while Robert had learned so much, he still couldn't handle that one single night when he was twelve years old.

The deathly silence was broken by the trapdoor near the emperor's tomb opening. Robert ripped off the bottom half of the sheet, threw it on the ground and stepped on it, turning to another page.

It was Chak, of course. The old man descended into the library quickly and Robert scrambled for something to do.

He wasn't exactly sure why he hid that part of the page. He had explained quite a bit of what happened that night and his past in Ragni, but still, the dark words still rang too hard and personal for Robert to share.

"Back to your writings, I assume?" Chak made his way closer, acknowledging the stacks of books near Robert. He had grabbed a few books about life in Old Almuj and was contrasting it with the present.

"Yes, master. I'm just writing about some of the poorer parts of Almuj, the environment and the issues thereof."

"Very well. I do request we train. You must work on your spins and counterattacks."

All too quickly, Robert hopped up and put the journal and writing utensil away as he brushed the half sheet of paper up next to a stack of papers.


Robert and Chak stood on opposite sides of the mat, no weapons in their possession, save the very lethal ones they were currently training.

"Every swing of the fist must be powerful, even when one is blocking. The stronger your defense is, the slower your opponent will attack."

"I know, I know. I just need to react fast enough to do that." Robert bounced on his feet, letting his weight shift from one to another. Chak attacked quickly, though his attack was linear and obvious. Robert quickly parried one punch then the other, just in time to block the first one as he tried to land a blow of his own.

Chak easily blocked it and kicked out at Robert who stopped the kick with a leg, spinning around with a yell and throwing out a fist. Chak required two hands to block that hand and with Robert inside his guard, he was defenseless as Robert forced and pinned him to the ground.

"I win again," Robert smugly proclaimed, making sure Chak had no possible way of getting out of Robert's vice.

"You certainly are nearing the end of your training. You're winning nearly half of your sparring matches with me!"

"I would say it's more like I win eighty percent of the matches. I mean, you are a little bit disadvantaged now."

Robert knew Chak didn't want to admit it, but Robert was of course right. Robert was nearing his prime and Chak was at least sixty years older than him.

He released Chak and made sure he didn't do some quick shenanigans to try to teach Robert another lesson about never letting his guard down. Robert was used to it, as Chak wrestling him to the ground after Robert had already won was a common event over the past few years.

Now as Robert progressed in age, he found himself clumping his past into chunks. Before his working years, the working years, the Disaster, and his apprenticeship. At the old age of seventeen, he knew that there was going to be another change, or new era of his life, and he didn't want to consider another change towards the unknown.

A few hours after more training, Robert took a trip into Almuj. Chak had some finances in the bank he wanted Robert to deposit. It was a rare occurrence for Chak to travel into the town itself, and though he wanted to stay aloof, he must still deal with currency and financial issues. As he didn't have much of a job because only his students paid him money for training or sparring, he still needed money, so he had a bank account to keep his extra earnings for future need.

All Robert knew was that Chak was in need of money for one reason or another, and Robert had to take some from his bank account to deliver it to Chak.

Robert took the short way. Recently, the city had added a back entrance to the bank and it was a great idea to take advantage of it, as it allowed Robert to get into the bank much faster.

It had seemed strange to Robert, but the bank was at the edge of the city, so this new entrance technically never touched the city.

The entrance specifically had two parallel staircases that wound up to the door. It was also worth mentioning that the bank was the tallest building in the city. And although, the city seemed to be on the poor side, he had heard rumors that a secret tunnel led to a vast treasure room far beneath the main rooms of the bank, but he had no way of confirming if that was true.

Before Robert ascended the stairs, he saw a cluster of horses off to the right, hastily tied to a pole. He stayed away from them and entered the bank's interior, finding the bank quiet and empty, as far as he could tell.

Confused at the absence of anyone, he turned to leave. At the same time, he heard a quivering voice from someone hidden behind the counter.

"T-the b-bank is c-closed t-today. S-sorry." It was such a strange occurrence, Robert just said "Ok," and left perturbed, simply heading back the way he had came.

He had reached the end of the stairwell when he looked back and saw a band of masked individuals in dark robes making their way out of the building. Robert quickly ducked behind the base of the stairwell and watched as the people, presumably bandits headed down the other stairwell with bags full of riches to their horses.

The young man could not tell if they had noticed him previously on the stairs, but if they did, they did not acknowledge him, and seemed intent on escaping quickly and securely.

Maybe I should stop them. Robert saw them take off in a northward direction, vaguely towards the Terracotta Wonder, but staying westward of it and not straying towards it. Robert knew he wouldn't do too well on foot, but he still jogged in their direction for a good minute.

He decided to just return to Chak and tell him about the peculiar robbery he had probably just witnessed. He still wanted to follow the bandits, but if he had no idea where they were headed, he would only be able to find them with luck.

"So, the bandits or robbers, whatever, took off on their horses to the north and I wasn't able to follow them, so I just decided to come back here."

Chak pursed his lips, frowning in deep thought. "North, you say? That's towards the Mummy's Tomb."

"Yeah, you've mentioned that before, but we haven't traveled in that area that often. What's the history of that place and was the emperor's tomb made before then?" Robert asked, keen on the history of the desert.

"I think it was early 100 AP, or around that time when that tomb was created. The other tomb was made quite a ways after that. Anyway, the bandits who congregate there are called the Hearth Raiders, but I don't know much about them."

"I will investigate them, and see what they're up to, and restore justice and harmony!" Robert paused and rethought his declaration. "Wow, that sounded very... cliche or something. Still, I will help Almuj and stop them."


"I do have a few ideas." Chak admitted over dinner that day. "If it's true that the bandits are located in a base next to or in the mummy's tomb, you could probably sneak around and scout out how their organization works, or something like that."

"Sounds like a plan. I might as well do it tonight. But first, I must finish this delectable lamb-chop casserole."

"Good luck. For both your missions, I mean. This casserole is very filling."


Later that night, Robert, in a black cloak and hidden by darkness perched on the mountainous terrain the tomb was built into. He hid behind an extravagant pillar, stripped of the more expensive gems that it had once held.

Robert watched the entrance to the tomb, where two bandits seemed to be on guard. The occasional bandit would enter or exit, some in bands of five, ten, or twenty, but later into the night, the bandits did not enter.

As the guards at the entrance changed shifts, the young man dropped down near a cluster of crates and watched as a few bandits entered.

He noticed that the guards would say a phrase to each of them and they would respond with another phrase.

It was quite tricky to catch the words, but Robert did so.

At one point, the guards shifted inside the entrance. He took the chance to sneak out from his hiding place and pretend to be another bandit.

The guards acknowledged him, assuming him to be one of their own, and told him their phrase.

"The fire burns brightly tonight, sir."

Robert responded. "Then let it be dimmed. Let it rest."

"You are very nearly late for the meeting. Hurry inside and find a spot." The other guard on duty told him gruffly.

Robert passed through the entrance, which was an arced artifice with pillars on each side to make it door shaped.

Next, the large room in front of him held all the crowd. So this is the meeting. He thought, gazing at a cloaked figure on an elevated rise of rock. That cloaked figure was the only one who wore a different color cloak. Red.

He entered the crowd - he estimated that there were about one hundred people in the room all with black or dark cloaks - and squeezed into the middle, making sure his face was well cloaked. With people tight around him, he felt crammed, but despite being among enemies he did not know, he was relieved that the meeting was busy enough for him to remain anonymous.

"Welcome, fellow Cloaked Ones!"

The crowd instantly fell deathly quiet, and Robert felt unsure if he should breathe, as the sound might disturb the silence.

"We were successful on our small, tactical raid on Almuj's bank. It was simple to break into such a protected vault, as Almuj's weak leadership and power was amassed before our eyes. In our excursion, we managed to obtain a money quality that combined is worth 9,000 emerald blocks!"

The crowd gasped, seemingly as one, to show their surprise at the enormous sum of money they had obtained.

"This is not all. We also pilfered a small, ruby necklace. The Scarlet Star."

This time the crowd cheered, while Robert was simply surprised. He had heard of the Scarlet Star a little. He knew it to be an old relic from the time of the emperors, with a small shred of magic infused with it.

"It is of course purely symbolic. We have captured a piece of their light, with our cunning, and we are fulfilling our goal! The light is growing, so let -"

"Let the darkness grow with it." The ensemble replied.

"And when the light is shrinking,"

"May the dark match it in every step."

And together, all the Hearth Raiders said, "We must be the balance."

A silence fell, and Robert thought about their statements. What a skewed idea. The Hearth Raiders believe that they truly bring balance by helping the darkness? I know better than them that the light is not the problem here. The darkness is quite strong already. Memories flashed before his eyes, of darkness he had known. The Corruption near Ragni. The gravestone of his true mother and the secret message it held. That evening when he was caught off guard and everything in his life was torn away from him...

Robert wrenched himself back to the present, reminding himself of his current, unsafe circumstances.

The meeting wasn't over already. The leader who spoke was called the Keeper, and he continued to discuss the plans of the bandits, a vital item for Robert to know, if he wanted to stop the nefarious deeds of the evildoers.

Most announcements related to economics. The wages and rewards of Hearth Raiders, the resources that must be acquired, et cetera. One plan more fully caught the young man's attention. He was looking around, using his height to glance over the audience, seeing that everyone, was in fact, wearing a black cloak, when the Keeper mentioned someone in Almuj.

"Now our friend over in Almuj has resources and political power. With his help, we can gain control of the entire city and use it for our own purposes."

Well, that was definitely news for Robert.

"As a close advisor to the mayor and a city council member, he has the power to change the course of the city. He cannot be outright and show his true intentions, but he will help us. We must also do our part, and infiltrate the city, pretending to be ordinary folk and encouraging public opinion to seek aid against the bandits.

A murmur of surprise emanated from the audience, and it consumed Robert too.

Wait what? Robert did not expect those words. Not only did the bandits have a political hold in the city, but they had a plan Encouraging the people to fight against the bandits? How is that going to help their cause?

He did not get an answer to that question, as the Keeper moved on to other matters.

"I have heard - certain - rumors among you, brethren, that you fear that we might be stopped by the hero of Almuj, the master of the weapons known as Chak. But you have no need to fear. He is old, and his ability is slipping away. Nevertheless, I have a plan for him, just have faith."

Robert's heart stopped for a jiffy second. They had a plan specifically targeting his master? That was not good.

At that point, the Keeper wrapped the meeting up, ending with their key phrase.

"Hearth Raiders unite! Take part in the fight. To balance the light, aid to the night. And add to our might!

The last phrase was boomed throughout the room, bouncing between pillars and the curved, decorated walls, attacking Robert's ears in droves.

After a few moments, the sound dispersed from the room and as did the bandits with Robert among them.

Most bandits stayed in the tomb, heading off down another tunnel, probably to a lodge or a barracks for the members. Robert worried he would have to sneak out somehow, or run to escape the tomb, if all the other bandits stayed in there. To his advantage though, a medium sized group of fifteen to twenty individuals headed out of the tomb, towards Almuj.

They must be some of the infiltrators, or members that live in Almuj. He assumed so that much. He also reckoned that one of them could be a spy for the city, if the bandit's themselves did not have tight enough security.

He hid among them on their trip to the city, but the topic of conversation in the group dis-favorably headed in Robert's direction.

"What do you think of the Keeper's plans for the weapons-master?"

One bandit asked the cloaked apprentice of said weapons-master. Robert struggled for a good thing to say, finally settling on something fair minded and neutral. "I think it is good that the Keeper has a way to deal with Chak. His age does not affect his skill that much, as far as he knows.

The bandit nodded, and while the others discussed, Robert was just glad to walk quietly, proud that he seemed reclusive, but seemed wise to the others.

At the side of Almuj the group sneaked through a gap in the defenses, which seemed much weaker on this side compared with the western wall facing the savanna. After entering the city, the people split up, giving Robert an excuse to strike out alone. Taking a detour, he made his way around the town, edging his way towards the southeast edge where he could take off towards home.

Robert trudged up to the door at his current home. He found it locked, which was reasonable, as it was very near midnight. He frowned, seeing his predicament, and decided to just rap on the door loudly, even if it woke someone up. He needed to enter and feel safe away from the cool air of the night.

Eventually, one of Chak's trainees opened the door and recognized the young man.

"Oh Robert, welcome." He held the door open and Robert passed through, nodding his thanks to the man, who he supposed to be named Gart.

It seemed that all of the trainees or acolytes or whatever one wanted to call them seemed curiously respectful of him. Robert noticed also a twinge of resentment among them. It had been a while before he had found out that Chak's masterful clue hunt had been conquered before, and that those who wished to be trained by the master either completed that or paid Chak for his training, which explained the few people living and learning from the master less directly.

Robert was Chak's only exception. Chak picked him as his apprentice because he completed the clue hunt and Chak believed him to be the One. Never again would a fake jewel be carried down to the cavern, nor a key rest in the spire of the large barracks to the north.

He made it to his room and crashed on his bed. He knew he needed sleep, but he just couldn't stop his rushing mind from thinking of the Hearth Raiders. "We have an ally... you have no need to worry about the master... let the light be dimmed... let the darkness grow...

And could he possibly stop them?


The next morning, Robert quickly told Chak of the information he found out from the bandit meeting the night before. Chak was intrigued about the rumor of a plot against him, and as the two took their morning jog, (Robert could easily outpace Chak, but in this case, he stayed next to the old man) they brainstormed what plots might be against them. He could be kidnapped, assassinated, trapped, or distracted, if the bandits needed him away from a certain area. They figured out nothing, so they put it in the back of their minds for the moment.

Robert was still unsure of how he could get involved to defeat the evil-doers. With spying, he could find out something that gave Almuj, Chak, and him an advantage over the bandits.

He decided he either had to infiltrate them as a true member by doing tasks for them and gaining favor, but it seemed difficult. Maybe some other course would be better off. Like discovering the agent among the mayor's advisors.



Stealth was one of the young man's talents, apparently, as Chak only taught him techniques to be light and quiet on his feet. Spying on the other hand, usually requires focus and intent, which Robert displayed exceptionally when he managed to sneak into the city council room, disguised in an enormous potted plant. He wouldn't reveal how he got there, in the same room with all the higher ups of Almuj, somehow not getting discovered.

The conversation was very interesting to Robert, but incredibly long. A good hour discussing everything from improving architecture to political relations with other cities.

It was obvious he would have to do more reconnaissance, as none of them revealed with their words any connection to any sort of bandits.

There were eleven city council members. The mayor, four advisors, three nobles, and three merchants. Yes, it was a little top social class heavy, but it worked, at least.

Robert was relieved that he didn't have to investigate six, technically seven of them. (He was willing to consider the possibility that the mayor himself was the mole. As Chak's apprentice, the young man didn't know him that well.)

It seemed they did acknowledge the poverty levels, and decided to send funds the way of charity programs, despite being rich and all.

Robert peered out under the fake shrubbery, noting the four advisors. They were on the two chairs on either side of the mayor, and by species, two were villagers, two were human. The mayor was also human. He tried to remember what primary species the bandits were. It was hard to tell because of the cloaks, but the Keeper was almost certainly human and the two guards probably were too, though Robert did not know for sure. That may be an important deduction, he realized. People mainly associated with their own species, holding a small special bias.

He decided to trace one of those humans home, so he memorized his outfit, and kept his head low until everyone left. Once he heard no sounds and peeked out to see no one, he sneaked out and tracked down the first advisor.

Even with his vantage point on the roof, Robert took a while to spot the advisor. In the small, layered city, it seemed a slightly busier day than usual. But soon enough, he spotted the man, winding his way towards a modest house near the southwest outskirts of the city.

Robert hopped from roof to roof, as the buildings were extremely close together. He managed to land on top of the advisor's house, but from there, he had to decide what to do.

I suppose the only way to figure out the traitor is by witnessing an interaction between the traitor and the bandits. This might be a little time intensive for me.

Robert waited, staying low on the rooftop for almost a half hour, watching people flow by, none of them entering the advisor's house, so he gave up. Better luck next time, but he was rethinking his strategy. How could he stop the bandits without simply stealing from them or killing their leader? He needed an indirect path to defeat them, and he wasn't finding anything yet.


A few weeks later, Robert was no closer to stopping them. He had attended several city council meetings, following a different advisor in the subsequent two weeks, but he could prove no-one guilty. He figured out the timing of the Hearth Raiders' meetings, so he had attended another, but no more important information had been revealed.

Among Almuj, the people were certainly going along with the bandit's plans. They talked in hatred of bandits in general, wanting to stamp out the "vermin". This encouraged the city council to talk about ways to defend against, or even target the bandits. It made more sense to Robert now, about why the Hearth Raiders would do that. With the people focused on a goal, the city council would arrange plans to please the people. The mole would use the knowledge and tell the bandits of any defenses to bypass, if they want something from the city.

The question was, what is the point, why put the city on guard? What is the goal of this whole operation?

Robert's brain mulled over this as he returned from the city after doing some reconnaissance. The last city council meeting was a few days ago, and they had decided to direct groups of soldiers to patrol the city, adding to the soldiers which stood in guard in certain places. Since then, the young man had been gauging the timing of those patrols, so he could more conveniently sneak around the city.


Desert's Haven seemed off, when Robert entered it. The door was ajar, the vase atop the entry stand was knocked over, not broken, but close.

This gave Robert a sense of foreboding. What had happened? He had forgotten about Chak's endangerment, but now the potential realization rushed in, squeezing his insides. He called for Chak, hearing nothing. He searched the weapons room, Chak's quarters, everywhere, but Chak was nowhere to be found.

"Oh there you are." Reba surprised him as he was crossing through the dining room.

"Have you seen Chak?" Robert asked frantically.

"Uh, no. What's the matter?" Concerned, she responded.

"He's missing and I don't think he went on an afternoon stroll. Where have you been?"

"I was scouting out the tunnels leading farther into the plateau." Reba answered, obviously taken aback by Robert's direct question. There was a maze of tunnels that had been discovered recently, and Reba was the most intent on figuring out where they led.

Robert hurried off and questioned some of the acolytes to ask if they'd seen Chak recently. Most were clueless, but a few noted that Chak had gone to his room a few hours ago and they hadn't seen him since, assuming he was taking a nap.

How did no-one notice Chak departing? And if bandits took him away, that would be even more noticeable. Either way, I think I'd better search for any clues outside.

Outside, Robert with an inward lurch found that he had overlooked hoof tracks stopping near the entrance to the house. How could he have missed those when Chak was always telling him to be more observant and aware?

The sand at the front of the door seemed a little thinner, as if it was kicked up or a scuffle happened. Regardless, he needed to follow the tracks, even though he knew where they would lead.

Robert wished he had a horse as he followed the hoofprints. He wouldn't enjoy riding it, but it would be much faster to travel on its back.

It took a long time to follow the hoofprints along the Great River while under the desert's sun, but as it was nearing winter time, at least it was a little cooler.

Logically, it led to the bandits 'hideout'. As Robert approached it in the daytime with his black cloak flapping in the wind, daggers sheathed at his sides, he found it was much harder to enter incognito. Nobody would recognize him as Chak's apprentice, but he wouldn't be recognized as one of the Hearth Raiders either.

He found a hiding place to scout out the bandits. He could possibly sneak into a group entering the hideout, which had guards even in the day time.

Soon, he noticed a procession of Raiders heading toward their base. Some rode on horses, and in the midst of them was a carriage driven by the bandits.

It seemed important enough that they were led quickly through the arch into the hideout. Robert really wanted to see what was going on, so he decided to just risk it and sneak inside. Again, he dropped down close to the entrance and watched for a moment the two guards looked away. Then he dashed in, the guards barely noticing him blur past.

"Hey!" "What was that?"

Before they could solidify his presence, Robert dashed to the side, hiding behind one of the pillars in the enormous room. He peered out from behind the pillar and watched as the procession gathered around the carriage. Soon, they carried a figure out of there and into another room.

Could it be Chak? It wouldn't make sense, but Robert had to find out, so he crept around the room until he neared the room. Most of the bandits remained outside, that area, with the more important ones in this mission inside.

Robert pulled his hood up and walked into the room quickly. He saw that the captive was moved into further back rooms, so he headed onward.

It seemed that the Hearth Raiders had a web of tunnels and rooms carved into the left side of the tomb, whether made by them or the first makers of the Mummy's Tomb.

By the time Robert snuck into the hallway they had taken the mayor into, the entourage had hid out of sight. Quite a few caves lined the way, which would make it difficult for Robert to discern which room held the mayor, and to be honest, he did not know what he’d do with that knowledge anyway. He wanted to find Chak, so he could have backup, hopefully.

He checked each room for the sound of the entourage and not hearing much, ended up at the end of the hallway. Two hallways split, one to the left and one to the right. To the left, the hallway led to an open entrance larger cave that seemed to be a mess hall. For that reason, Robert headed right, listening for sounds to find the captive.

He turned down another tunnel at the end of the hallway and almost ran into several bandit guards who stopped him in his tracks. “Halt. Who are you?”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Robert replied as he sneaked glances past the guards towards the hallway beyond. There were more caves, but instead of curtains, iron bars covered the entrance to the rooms. It was obviously a section for the prisons, likely holding Chak and the mayor.

“I guess I took a wrong turn around here. This maze of hallways is quite confusing.” Robert finished innocently.

He backtracked through the tunnels, deciding to go back the way he came rather than making his way out somewhere else in this confusing maze.

He needed a plan. Desperately.

When Robert managed to reach Almuj, he found that Almuj was extremely tight on security at the moment. No-one was allowed in or out of the city, and that included ulterior exits. Robert could not enter easily, so he waited at the main gate of the city, asking people for the cause of the commotion or lock-down. He heard vaguely that bandits were the problem, as that was the general consensus. He also briefly wondered whether the bandits had caused another problem in the city. Maybe the mayor was not their only target.

As the city seemed to be in chaos, Robert assumed he would receive no help, unless soldiers were planning a raid against the bandits.

I should’ve gone straight back to the capable people I know.

Robert could rely on the acolytes back at Desert's Haven, some of them he knew very well.


Later the large group of over twenty acolytes rode through the desert, on just several horses. Robert was squeezed on a horse with two others, not enjoying the ride much, but glad for backup.

The ride was long, but armed with weapons, they disembarked eventually on the other side of a rocky ridge from the tomb. Robert joined with eight acolytes to make up the first group that would enter the tomb disguised as Hearth Raiders.

The sun was fading into the western cliffs and the stars clashed over the space in the sky. Robert liked witnessing the night sky in the desert. It always had so many symphonies of color, illustrated by the clear skies that the desert most commonly had. Tonight seemed to be a meeting of the bandits, which was excellently timed, but security was tighter than before. Five guards blocked the entrance, and the bandits needed more than just a code phrase. Each individual bandit had to be scrutinized for weapons.

This might be even harder than I expected. Robert admitted, scouting the entrance.

"We might need a distraction, Robert," Gart, told him.

He was quickly reminded of the time that he found the second clue beneath the Terracotta Wonder and how he drew the soldiers out. I can do the same thing, but how?

The acolytes reformed their plan. One group would be the distraction, causing the guards to be removed from their places temporarily while the other group crept in behind them.

Robert waited at a sizable hiding spot near the entrance. It required a small drop and a quick sprint across the way. On the other side of the tomb, the other group was waiting for his signal, as he had become the unofficial leader of the expedition as Chak's second in command and the most experienced with infiltrating bandits. (At least he was pretty sure of that, unless one of the others had gone on an adventure recently.)

Robert signaled the group and they began their distraction. Using slings or just throwing rocks at the bandits at the entrance, the bandits scattered and amidst the confusion, Robert’s group dropped down and edged in with the bandits arriving. The group causing the distraction pelted nearly everyone with rocks, and so those arriving bandits along with the acolytes and the outside guard fled into the tomb for safety. Several bandits went for help, and others stayed by the door. Robert and his team formed a loose pack and hurried to the large meeting room before they could be scrutinized.

Robert hoped that the group of acolytes had ridden away on horseback by now. The guards at the entrance had probably gathered a formidable force that could easily capture the group.

The meeting room was nearly full of clamoring people who must have heard of the issue at the entrance, but soon the crowd calmed down and a few final latecomers trickled in.

Robert slipped away with most of the group while some cloaked acolytes staying to spy on the meeting, which would start soon.

Navigating through the crowd on the left side of the room, the group sneaked into a hallway and followed it down, while Robert tried to remember what turns he had taken to get to the prison rooms.

Down the hallway, then a right turn and another turn they went. Robert peeked around the corner of a hallway, certain that there were guards in front of the prison hallway.

“The guards are around the corner.” Robert whispered after confirmation. “We have to take them out to get past.”

His group got ready for action, pulling out staffs, knifes, daggers, and other weaponry, bursting around the corner to surprise the guards. The Hearth Raider guards were so shocked, one almost fell over, previously leaning against the wall half asleep. They were unprepared for the attack, not seeing action all night, waiting for something, and Robert's team had approached swift and silently.

Quickly the guards were knocked out, Robert himself taking two out with a single blow, and one could barely muster a yelp before he was knocked to the floor. Then, a temporary calm came as the victorious group of five acolytes along with Robert surveyed their fallen enemies. One second of still elapsed, before the group began to move.

The prison cells were mostly empty, save the occasional prisoner. Some were asleep, others staring in silence. Robert was worried that one would yell for the other bandits, but none shouted.

"Release me, please." One said, clutching the bars to his prison.

"Get me out, I'm from Almuj," another added.

"Sorry, but we need to rescue others first." Robert told them. He noticed that each cell had two locks, which the same key accessed. One for meals, and one to get the prisoner in or out. He realized that the keys must be on one of the guards, and that they had access to the prisoners, so he ran back for the keys.

He fished in one man's pocket and found the keys on a key chain around the man's belt. Up ahead, his group had ran into trouble. More guards, from the shout and clamor of weapons.

They were around another twist in the hallway. Six guards that seemed to be holding their own against Robert's group. Several members from each party were on the ground. Quickly, Robert aided his friends. He approached one bandit, dodged a swing of his dagger, and retaliated with a few swift blows, knocking him down. One of the other bandits fell, and Robert took down another, before only his side was left standing, and they rushed further to find Chak and the Mayor.

“Here he is!” One acolyte exclaimed, referring to Chak. Robert sprang over with the keys. Chak had been busy scrabbling with something in his hands. Robert discovered it to be a small piece of metal shaped like a lock pick.

“You needn’t have come.” Chak complained gruffly. “I would have escaped eventually.”

“With that little scrap of metal? Sure…” Robert released the old man and looked around to find the mayor in another cell. From the several city council meetings Robert had spied on, he could recognize him by his familiar brown fluff of balding hair and his kempt suits carefully done up. While the mayor still had his familiar hair in the cell, his suit was dirtied up and messed with, causing the neat, sharp gray color to fade darker.

“How do you do, Mayor,” Robert unlocked his cell jovially.

“Not very well, I’m afraid, my boy. As you can see, I was a bit locked up, thrown in jail by bandits. That is not the greatest way to spend a night, apparently.”

Robert nodded. “We are here to get you out of this place as soon as possible.”

“I think it’s time to put on your running fancy dress shoes, Gorwef.” Chak told the mayor grumpily, coming from the side.

Robert dropped his keys in surprise. Did Chak just disrespect authority? And was the mayor really named Gorwef? He choked back a laugh, and Chak scooped up the keys.

“Come on boy, you must finish the job. Don’t just leave it to your elders. Show some respect.”

Robert tried to think up a witty retort, but he was too tired and had just about ran out of ideas.

“We’re running out of time, I think. We have to get out of here.”

Chak gave the keys to one of the acolytes who started unlocking the other prison cells. Soon, the hallway was even more packed, and it was difficult to direct the crowd. Some prisoners fled back the way Robert had come, others stayed with the group. As the tunnel/hallway ended a few cells farther than Chak’s, there was only one path to escape, and if more bandits came and blocked the escape route, well, it would not end up good for Robert and company.

The crowd gravitated down the hallway, everyone generally knowing the way out of the maze of tunnels within the Tomb. That was good, but eventually they must confront the bandits once more.

Robert headed to the front of the crowd as they past a few tunnels and entered the mess hall. Someone seemed to know a better way out, which made sense, as some of the prisoners might have been bandits before.

They had run into several Hearth Raiders, most of which had fled, but they had fled to get help, and now in the mess hall, they faced a force that a group of prisoners and weakened rescuers could do nothing against.

"Give up. You are trapped in here." One of the bandit leaders shouted. Robert slinked into the crowd, drawing to the back where he found Chak and the Mayor and the remaining acolytes.

"Come on, we've got to get out of here." Robert told them quietly. With haste, they headed into the previous tunnel.

"What about the others?" An acolyte asked. "We must get them out too."

Chak sighed. "Yes, them and the prisoners and blah blah everyone who doesn't want to be here... whatever. We might as well try to get them out too." he always seemed kind of uncomfortable and surly around others, especially in this case when he needed to be rescued.

"Aww, was that human kindness," Robert teased.

"No."

The group headed back to the prison corridor. On their way to escape, Robert had forgotten about them for a brief moment.

One of the acolytes, (Robert thought his name was Bramer) was waking up some of the acolytes. None were dead, which Robert welcomed gratefully. One was still down, the others sitting, still feeling pain from their skirmish. The bandits were still down, whether kept down or just defended against well.

"We're moving." Chak commanded, before walking off back towards the other tunnels.

"No, wait Chak, where are you going?" The mayor questioned.

"To safety, of course."

"You really think you can fight off whatever bandits stand in your way?"

Chak halted, waiting impatiently for a few moments while Robert's group made sure they were ready to travel. Soon they were, and the bandits stirred once more, so they took off.

Robert's group of the acolytes, Chak, and the mayor were not prepared to fight anyone, in all truth, even if Chak could feign confidence enough to do so. The only path they could take to escape was through the main hall, so they took the path leading back to the main cavern. With a bit of luck, they would sneak out as most bandits were distracted. Robert didn't want to admit it to himself, but it was a cowardly plan, as they still left the prisoners. Hopefully it was good to have freed them, even if they were recaptured, so some would have a chance of escape.

It was extremely unrealistic to expect no foes in the main hall, but there was no harm in hoping. Indeed, quite a few bandits were in there, and a large number blocked the hallway to it.

Okay. Robert thought.

"I guess we have to do this the hard way." He raised his eyebrows at the bandits in opposition. "Unless you guys want to forfeit? Please?"

It was to be expected, but Robert sighed anyway. This won't be much fun.

Blocking the entrance into the large cavern that made up the front of the Tombed structure were roughly twenty bandits. That meant about two to one odds in the bandits favor. But that didn't count Robert and Chak, who combined could easily defeat such a number.

With a threatening yell, Robert broke the temporary standstill, and crashed into the bandits ranks, throwing them into chaos. He spun, thwacked, kicked, chopped, and punched the bandits in his path, once again not bothering to take out his daggers to defeat the group. The others joined in, making it nearly a full fledged battle. Some acolytes stayed with the mayor, either to protect him, or because they had not finished recovering from the earlier fight.

Robert fought, plowing through the ranks with Chak by his side. Men screamed as they were knocked out and wounded. Robert simply thought of it as a difficult chore. He found no pleasure in hurting others, especially not those who still lived.

That was a conundrum indeed. Robert was always reminded of that night. Screams and pain. Death and monsters. It was hard, as always.

Soon the group fought off and forced the bandits to the sides and allowed the others to rush through. They still had to face against the Hearth Raiders in the main cavern, but they progressed towards freedom. Robert continued his arduous work. Many fell and when no bandits remained in front of him, he stopped, breathing hard, in and out to recover.

"More of them are approaching, I'm afraid." Someone said, Robert not exactly sure who. "Go on!" Robert exclaimed. "Hide, run, something. We can't stop all of them.

"Robert watch ouuuuuuuuwwwwwwwwwwwww!" The shout faded as Robert became blinded by pain. Robert turned behind him to see a bandit withdraw a knife. In the confusion, he had missed one or something, and in return received a knife to the back.

Robert fell forward, someone crying out for him, but the pain was too intense to focus much on anything else. He caught a glimpse behind him to see that Chak had come to his rescue and had delivered a killing blow to the attacker. "Another down," Robert thought deliriously. Suddenly he tensed as strong hands wrapped a cloth tight around his back. With the bleeding nearly stopped up, he could think better.

"Robert. Focus. Your group is losing. More attackers are coming, not everyone can run for it. What now?" His inner voice told him.

Okay, I just need to get up and allow my group to make a break for the exit. He stood up as directed, and started moving. Slow at first, but with Chak by his side, he caught up to the group.

"Run! Split up and go!" Someone shouted. Robert followed that wise council, and Chak with the mayor stayed near him. They ducked and weaved between the bandits, moving unpredictably so none of them could react, and painfully, finally, they neared the entrance, so close to the brighter light that shown outside...

And they passed into the scalding sun, safe at last.

"Hold on. You won't escape that easily." A familiar voice cut through any form of glee at nearing safety.

Robert's eyes adjusted to the early morning light, still riding a small thread of delirium. The speaker took no time to recognize regardless.

"You. The Keeper. Who else would I run into?"

"Of course. I expected you to come here. Save your precious master and become a great hero. Prison break all my captured enemies. I hoped not, but --"

"Quit it with the yapping and the self pity, loser." Chak responded. He took the enormous doors that made up the entrance to the tomb and pulled them together, tying the chains that pulled them so that they would stay secure.

"Now this fight is even."

Robert wasn't sure about that, not with fifteen to one odds, but they could still escape despite the barrier of guards and the man that led and blocked their way towards home.

The Keeper still did not reveal his face, but barked a quick laugh. "Petty words of someone literally pinned against a wall. I want to see if you've got some insult better than that."

Apparently Chak did, for he railed on for several moments, insulting everything from the Keepers shoe size to his eye color (even if it was not possible to make out his eye color from the distance Chak was at.)

"Oh my. It's too bad words don't physically hurt, otherwise you would beat your apprentice more often."

That seemed to hit home against Chak and he gritted his teeth. Robert noticed it was about time for some fighting, so he whispered to Chak and the mayor who was still beside him. "Let's get to the point. Chak, you can take on the Keeper, I'll handle his guards. Gorwef, you just find a way to get past them and a path to Almuj safely. "Tragically, that is the best I can do." The mayor admitted. "In this area of expertise, at least."

"So often, I find that plans are the basis of everything." The Keeper monologuedly mused. "It takes hard work and skill to carry something out, but the only way anything gets done is through using one's brain to plan the best way to get what you want."

"Okay, go in three, two--"

"Hold on." Chak said. "You should know one of my rules. Do not fight those you are currently angered by. It makes me reckless. Take on the Keeper and give him a lickin' for me, alright?"

"Alright let's go. Mr. Mysterioso is looking bored, waiting for us to do something as we are clearly being overheard. By some point, he'll just attack, assuming we are stalling."

The Keeper stood there, and if Robert could guess his facial expression, he would assume there was amusement in those twistedly evil eyes.

"One-zero-go!!" Robert said quickly as he charged the Keeper with daggers in hand. To Robert's right, Chak went for some of the bandits with a bo staff he had pilfered off a bandit earlier. The Keeper was extremely adept in defending his attack, even when his weapons were also daggers. It was a clear and simple knife fight.

Near him, Chak was struggling to not get overwhelmed by the number of bandits. The Keeper had started with about twenty bandits, and though Chak could stop them quickly, it took a ridiculous amount of energy for an old guy, even one who pretended to be young.

The Keeper's two blades were surprisingly similar to Robert's. They were a dark color, either obsidian or something similar. They also had a small sheen or glow on them, and Robert was constantly distracted thinking about the blades. The Keeper slashed and Robert blocked, then Robert stabbed and the Keeper dodged, trading blows, and seeing who would get worn out first. They battled in silence except for grunts, the smack of bodies on earth and moans from the bandits Chak had knocked to the ground.

Chak was doing better. The bandits were also struggling, as it was hard to target one guy without harming any of their allies. Soon though, they forced a two pronged attack by going for the mayor. Chak had to shrink back and hold off the bandits targeting the mayor. Still, he wasn't entirely successful. One bandit sneaked around the master's natural force-field and lunged for the mayor. But with a yelp, the mayor thrust out one of his 'fancy shoes' and landed the shoe in the bandits face.

"Why thank you, fancy shoes," Chak muttered, taking out that bandit with several hard whacks.

Robert tried to tire the Keeper out, but he never slowed down, in fact, he was tiring Robert instead. The young man resolved to end the battle quick by trying out one extremely difficult move. He had to block a dagger thrust, retreating in the process, and flung one dagger at the Keeper's leg. Naturally, he dodged it and sprang back a little. In the same movement, Robert faked throwing his other dagger and lunged in to stab at the Keeper's heart.

Chak was nearly finished dealing with the last of the bandits on his side. There was just a couple more. With just a few left standing, Gorwef moved to escape through an open area, but he was wrenched backwards by the leg due to one of the bandits lying on the ground. He struggled and struggled, but the bandit drew a weapon.

"Do I really have to come save you because of your fancypants shoes?" Chak inquired, freeing the mayor.

Robert's thrust would not do what he wanted to accomplish. The Keeper still blocked it just in the nick of time, at the cost of his balance. He toppled backward and his hood flew back to reveal his face.

He was not human. Nor villager. Not even dwarf or elf (which Robert heard lived across the sea). It was something stranger. Some form of corruption, he reckoned. The Keeper's skin was somewhat orange with dark veins. Part of his or its head was more humanoid, which could reasonably mask the creature so it could feign to be human. Robert was inaccurate in his earlier assumption that the Keeper was human. Or rather, maybe the Corruption had warped him and he had once been much different, an actual human.

Robert was surprised into stopping. The Keeper lay before him, but Robert had won.

"You seem surprised perhaps. You didn't think the Corruption could reach anyone, did you? Maybe it has even touched you!" It kicked at him and Robert fell backwards, sprawling.

"I recognize you," Robert responded, getting back up while the Keeper did the same. "You're one of the acolytes." Indeed, on his right hand, he brandished a fancy orange ring that he had seen one of acolytes wearing. Chak noticed it too

"Traitor." Chak said, grappling with one of the last bandits.

"I was never a traitor. I have always belonged to one side. Chaos. Corruption. Destruction. You may not understand the value of such, but you must see that strengthens your civilization, making it advance quicker and defend in new ways. Have you noticed that?"

"That is true if we aren't wiped out by the flood of Corruption. We know it doesn't help us overall." Robert tightly gripped his weapons, preparing for an attack.

The Keeper lunged with his daggers in each hand. Robert blocked each attack, but it forced him backwards.

From the side, he saw a speedy blur which crashed into the Keeper, knocking him down once more. The speedy blur stabbed the Keeper and Robert saw that it was Chak.

"That is how we deal with our problems. We knock them to the ground and kill them."

"Uhh, that was quite poetic, but now we've got to go." Robert told Chak while breathing hard. The adrenal hormone begun to fade and Robert was starting to feel a little more woozy again.

The doors clamored behind them as the people inside figured out how to open the door wider, but Chak, Robert, and Gorwef left the group of bodies in front of the door and ran for the hills.

It was a long trek, but they found a horse tied up behind where Robert's group had before they entered, and they could just barely ride on it with all three of them, albeit they had to take longer breaks. They rode to Desert's Haven rather than Almuj because there still might be too much confusion in the city, and they needed a place to rest and recuperate.

Chak had taken down the Keeper, so the bandits would be in a chaotic state and probably wouldn't follow the trio, Robert reckoned.

Finally back at home, the group recovered and their wounds were tended to. Robert may have been stabbed in the back, but it touched nothing major, so Robert just had to get rest. The same was said to the master and the mayor. He settled in the bed exhausted, sore from the long day and night and morning. Sleep approached him and he fell through fragments of dreams until he woke up near midnight.

His injury pained him so he rubbed near it. How did the strike not kill me or at least knock me down? It was high enough and close enough to my heart.

It was just below his left shoulder scarily close to his heart.

He relaxed and aimed to fall asleep once more, accomplishing just that.


The next morning, Chak, Robert and the mayor set out for the city after a filling breakfast (Robert was positively starving before he ate, and he expected the same from the others).

They strolled right up to the guards patrolling, and they escorted them to someone who confirmed that Gorwef truly was the mayor. As a group, they traveled to the city council building where Robert remembered something. "Wait, I think the Keeper said in one of his meetings that they had a spy amongst your advisors. I forgot to tell you in the heat of the battle."

The mayor pursed his lips. "I know. I had no suspicion until I was kidnapped, but that person knew my schedule by heart. I will get it sorted out one way or another, never you mind."

Robert nodded in assent and they continued inside. The mayor told them to wait a moment as he slipped into another room. Then he returned and hurried up the stairs with them, holding two small wooden boxes.

They stopped on the highest floor, turning into the room that the council held their meetings. It was a full house, people arguing, standing up and sitting in chairs, the like. It was chaos. But when they saw the mayor, they stopped and silence reigned.

"Yes, I'm back. Also arrest that man." He pointed towards one of his advisors, a younger man. The man froze for a moment before quickly fleeing trying to make it past the door.

"Well that was unwise," Chak said, grabbing the man and restraining him from making it out. "You should've done something else. This just proves your guilty."

"I didn't mean to, I thought I was helping some other group!" The man exclaimed. Still, Chak did not release him and he stayed where he was. Meanwhile, the crowd seemed confused by this turn of events.

"Anyway, I must present Chak and Robert here with their masterful rescue of me. They saved my life more than once. I give to them medals for helping Almuj."

"What happened?" Someone asked, and the room once again sprang into commotion for a second before the mayor summarized the main parts of the story, mostly explaining why he had arrested that advisor which Chak secured firmly. After he had finished that, he handed the boxes one each to Robert and Chak. Robert opened his and found a medal. "Special services to Almuj, wow. Fancy." He said, happy that he had gotten that. Several other authorities took Chak's captive and Chak opened his box, too.

"Nothing but fancy." Chak grumbled under his breath, but Robert could tell he was glad too, that his efforts and fighting had been appreciated with another special services to Almuj medal.

Then Robert decided that they would go. "Sorry, but we should go now, things to do."

"How about another thing?" The mayor asked. "What is it?" Robert asked.

"We still need your help for a bit. We must disband that group of bandits, the Hearth Raiders I think they were called."


Robert once again rode a horse, this time he didn't have a companion on the horse with him. Instead, he had an army beside him. Basically.

Almuj had called in a few reinforcements from nearby cities like Rymek and Detlas, and now Robert practically led them forward to the old Mummy's Tomb that the bandits had hid in.

Things have changed so much in just a few years. Just by training, I have become powerful enough to nearly lead an army! I could never have dreamed...

Of course he wasn't exactly in charge of the army, he was simply temporarily higher ranked than nearly everyone other than the generals.

The army traveled the short ways from Almuj to the Tomb and the bandits saw them coming early. A large number left quickly, escaping before the army could surround them and trap them in there. Others remained inside and barred the door. That was a worse idea. The army used a cannon to knock down the doors and it blew a large hole for soldiers to enter.

The remaining Hearth Raiders were forced to surrender, having to submit to the army and give up their weapons. The prisoners were also rescued, including the acolytes. Several of them were lost, casualty of the escape of Chak and the mayor. The Scarlet Star was recovered quickly, and though the body of the Keeper could not be found, the quest was over

After the bandits were imprisoned or surrendered and left without weapons, Robert returned home to Desert's Haven.

"Well done, my apprentice." Chak told him as they sat meditating on the training mat.

"I am afraid that that is the last time I will call you my apprentice. You are now the master. At least a master of daggers now." Chak took Robert's daggers from him respectfully.

"Over the past years, I've done some research. You remember some of the small expeditions I went on?"

Robert nodded. "Yes of course. You didn't allow me to go on those."

"That is because I was figuring some things out. I traveled to location number two and found a master named Mael. He is a master archer. You must go there and learn archery." Chak waved the old bloodstained map.

"I also found out something else about your weapons. They are magic."

Robert snorted. "Of course. I suspected they were magic when I got them."

"But I found out that these daggers could transfer into different weapons. A pair of daggers, a bow, a wand, and a spear."

Chak picked up Robert's daggers to which the handles grew bright. He uttered an incantation and squeezed the daggers together, the flat blades crossing over each other. Then, magically, the daggers moulded together and turned dark temporarily. Then Chak stretched them out in an arc to create a bow.

"Even the most experienced soldier must start from scratch when learning a new mastery." He said, taking a large strand of hair or something that crossed from one side to the other.

"Here is your bow, Robert." Chak handed Robert the bow.

"You will need to learn once more to continue in your fight against the Corruption. Only then can you shape the destiny of the war."

Thus we see that Robert has met his first master and completed his trials and training in the art of daggers. He has progressed so far since he was twelve. He is much stronger now, but how can he handle his journey to Mael at Twain Mansion? He has never used a bow before, and what obstacles and enemies will he face?

Please point out inconsistencies and stupid errors. Like the fact that the basement in the previous chapters was not even mentioned by the narrator. Also, I've gotten a vague fantasy that this could be a published book, (Wynncraft CT, when's the time for merch?) not only for Wynncraft players, but for all fantasy readers. That is why I've geared it slightly away from Minecraft, but its still nowhere near enough for something like that.

Also I am quite busy in high school, so don't expect the next chapter until 2023 rip


If you haven't read the first parts, look HERE
https://forums.wynncraft.com/threads/the-legend-of-bob-probably-some-spoilers.280437/
https://forums.wynncraft.com/threads/the-legend-of-bob-chapter-1-some-spoilers.291948/
https://forums.wynncraft.com/threads/the-legend-of-bob-chapter-2-the-warning-signs.297495/



The riddle so far:

Fate's Dark Hold, Billows Across Mortality,
The Warning Signs, Mark the Truth of Reality,
Daggers and Dust,

Part 1 is in another thread, project character limit problems.
Right here:
https://forums.wynncraft.com/threads/the-legend-of-bob-chapter-4-daggers-and-dust-part-1.302634/


Thank you for reading.

 

Awesome work!

 

wait this is cool