The First Portal Bandit
Rambleforth follows. Why not? Yon Apricus, was interesting, and had peaked Rambleforth’s curiosity. He would play along, and when the time was right, fetch his early retirement.
They appeared to be headed deeper into the repository. It was very large by ordinary standards, however, these were no ordinary standards. The first thing every bandit learned, was how immense the repository was.
Stuffinbob would teach all the young bandits the risks of wandering off in the repository. Once upon a time, a group of young bandits wandered off in the repository, it took bandit resources two weeks to find them.
The large, and surprisingly friendly Apricus, leads Rambleforth further into the repository. The found things in this section were quite old. Some of them Rambleforth recognizes, and some are strange with unknown uses.
Portal Bandit
He spots a particular item of interest and marks it for retrieval at a later time. This was beginning to look like a sweet retirement deal! He had wanted to get in the repository, and boy did he get in!
They have come to a dividing point in the cavernous hallway. Apricus turns and looks at Rambleforth intently. “Stay close little bandit, not all who were lost here were found. Some remain, unfound.”
Apricus turns back around and moves down the right hallway. Rambleforth follows a little more closely, not liking the idea of remaining unfound.
A short time later they come to a door that stands alone in the wall. Apricus turns the doorknob and opens the door. Rambleforth is doubtful and stops cold. Yon Apricus might be setting him up.
A dark room, and a bandit for dinner, kind of setup.
Apricus turns again and grins a crooked grin at Rambleforth, “You are not on the menu little bandit, however, time is short and we’ve much to discuss before you decide. Come along now, it is safe.”
Rambleforth follows Apricus into the room. Once inside Apricus lights several lanterns, finishing with a candle, on the only table in the room.
It is a surprisingly small room for one as large as yon Apricus, thinks Rambleforth, as his eyes adjust to the light. Apricus tosses an object on the table and looks at Rambleforth then asks a simple question,
The First
“Lose something?”
On the table is Rambleforth’s fancy new pipe that he lost during his run in with the semi truck. He looks at the pipe then back at Apricus, then back at the pipe. A smoke would hit the spot, however, he can’t understand how yon Apricus could have it.
Rambleforth had lost that pipe on the side of some unknown highway. He looks back at the large and unusual Apricus and asks an obvious question,
“What are ye playin at yon Apricus? How came ye across my pipe? ‘Twas it another of those young bandits messing everything up?”
What Apricus says next shocks Rambleforth into a stunned silence.
“Such things as this are nothing for me, yon Rambleforth, I am the one who came before all the rest, I am the first portal bandit.”