Note: This is more or less a updated version of "The Cloud Crawler Gang" posted for this story line. Nothing major to report.
...
For the past hour, Mary has been searching the Mansion's back yard. Or more specifically, the graveyard behind the mansion. She searched grave stone after grave stone for a possible secret passage to the mansion but still no luck. The graveyard is huge and she only searched a small portion of it so far.
During all the mindless searching for an way into the mansion, Mary had a lot of time to think to herself.
What should she do? Should she leave Isaac and Nat to their fate and make her way to the cloud castle, or should she find a way to break into the mansion and save her friends?
Isaac wasn't even a factor in her plans before she met him. If he didn't appeared, she would have left the village anyways. Her mission is for the sake cloud man kind... But having Isaac's absorption ability handy would have'd helped. He also provided her with an excuse to leave the village without anyone getting suspicious of her...
But she doesn't really need Isaac and Nat's help. The more time she wastes, the closer she is to her estimated maturity period...
She couldn't stop thinking about her time traveling with Isaac, Ilivir and Nat... She felt something... she felt companionship. The times she had to correct Nat when she misread a map, the times she watched Ilivir's silly masturbation sessions, and her time talking with Isaac... he feels like an long lost brother. He's very similar to herself. It's going to be hard to hide secrets from someone who's share's the same traits... The memories she shared with her companions are very dear to her. Spending time with her friends are probably the happiest times she spent in her lonely life...
Admidst her pondering, a group of armed cloud men silently came out from behind a bunch of gravestones and surrounded the pacing cloud woman.
"Alright girl. Give us the goods." One of them said.
Mary looked up to see herself surrounded by thugs.
How could she be so careless?! She let herself get surrounded by noisy thugs without her noticing!
"We are the Cloud Crawlers! We were on our way to raid this expensive looking mansion when we stumbled upon you. A defenseless girl. Cough up you valuables if you know what's good for you." One of the men stated.
The Cloud Crawler Gang... Mary heard of them. They are a independent group of bandits. She heard they were made up of cloud people of all types. Thugs, professional mercenaries, assassins, ninjas, nurses, real bandits, merchants, scientists, magic users, ect. They are the closest to what the cloud kingdom has to a rebellion group. But that's only because they don't obey the king and are willing to defend themselves if the king's men were ever to attack any members of the gang. They are a huge and powerful group who are independent from the king. But they don't fight for the people. They fight for themselves.
Mary readied her fencing sword for battle. She noticed that some of the cloud crawlers are armed with air razors (cloud guns). That's not good. She's confidant that she is able to handle these bandits. But with how outnumbered she is, there is a chance that someone will get a lucky shot. She's unable to focus on all of them on this fight. Her back is exposed at all times while these men are circled around her.
What should she do? If she surrenders, she might get taken to their camp to be taken as hostage. Going to their camp is not necessarily a bad thing. At least she will know the location of their home base. That is if they don't blind fold her... or if the don't just rob her and leave her were she is now... Maybe she can pretend to want to become a member of the Cloud Crawlers? That might increase her chances of going to their home base. If she goes to their home base, she might get an chance to speak with their leader... Perhaps she can convince them to fight the Sky King?... But then again, she doesn't know how long nor how far away their home camp is. She can't afford to waste time. She still needs to get to the cloud castle in a few days... With or without Isaac and Nat.
Mary wondered just what is Isaac and Nat up to now.