One thing about the camp falling apart at its seams that helped him, that he hadn't expected to, was that the tent the leader entered didn't have a flap that he needed to open to enter. As that allowed him to know he could leave just as easily if no one else was trying to walk through it at that moment.
"How long before she gets the last of the delivery?" someone asked as Ralph entered the tent, someone clean and clearly not a member of this band.
"It should be in a few hours," the leader told the newcomer. "We'll return and stay out of sight before she gets the last of the delivery and follow her after that. We're almost certain where all of the traps she lay are."
"Good," the person said, her voice crisp and clear "Remember to try and capture her alive. She might be necessary to figure out how to operate what she's working on, but don't put too much effort into it. If we have to, we can figure it out as we go along, even if we have to recreate it as many times as necessary before we get it to work."
"Of course, your grace," the leader replied, eyeing a bag of something heavy that the clean person suddenly started to swing from her hand as if teasing the bandit with it like she as playing with a cat.
"This time, make sure you get her," the woman said as she tossed the bag to the bandit, the bag making a clinking sound as it was caught. "I don't mind this going on for longer if necessary, but I'm getting bored of this. She's been at this for years now and I'd like to see what she's been needing so much wood and iron for. I get she needs it as iron because she doesn't have magic, but what could she possibly be building?"
"Of course, your grace," the leader said, making Ralph wonder if the bandit hardly had many thoughts running through her head at any given time.
Ralph also couldn't help but wonder if this woman, who seemed to be the ultimate one in charge, was also part of the issues that Marquis Denshia was having. Such as dealing with the attempts to kidnap his daughter. If not, he wouldn't put it past her to join in on the bandwagon with that.
The woman nodded as if satisfied with the bandit leader's response and turned to leave. She reached the entrance of the 'tent' before she turned back to the leader. "Remember, keep an eye out for unexpected trouble. I wouldn't put it past her to try something underhanded."
The leader nodded vigorously as Ralph shook his head in disgust. Of course this person would think others would stoop to levels that they would themselves, Ralph complained silently in his mind.
Ralph wanted to leave, collect a sack of potatoes or something for his trouble, and head back to Heanith, but he still needed to see just how complete the map of the traps were. If it was nearly done, he'd like to know so he could warn, not only Heanith, but his friends as well. He was confident that they'd be able to essentially find a way to defend against these bandits, and if it wasn't as complete as these bandits seemed to think it was, then he'd know they'd have more time to see about helping Heanith finish up with her project.
However, as time drew on, Ralph quickly started to get bored. The leader clearly didn't have much in her room by way of papers or anything that would make him think that the bandit look was just for show. Plus, she stayed in her tent and hardly did anything.
Not only didn't she pull out anything to look at, but it was clear that she didn't intend to do anything for a little bit.
Eventually Ralph sighed and got up and started to head out of the tent. From what he could tell, the map was in the leader's head, which could be accurate or could be wrong. He'd have no way of knowing since he couldn't see into the mind of another person like Charlie could. So he'd have to assume that was the case and move on.
He didn't have the time to waste waiting to see if this bandit leader would pull it out and let him see if she really was telling the truth about it or if it was merely just something she said to keep the bandits under her in line.
So, Ralph made his way over to where it looked like they kept their food, and say several sacks of grain, potatoes, and other edible items once cooked, which made Ralph wonder if that woman who was referred to as 'your grace' paid these people in food or something. If so, then he figured that they wouldn't miss a single bag of potatoes.
Which he turned invisible first so he wouldn't be carrying a 'floating bag' that would certainly draw attention. After all, he'd already made sure to 'charge' these bandits for his time in coming down here, as well as for what they shorted Heanith on.
What he hadn't anticipated was the fact that the bag was so heavy. To the point where he almost needed to use his magic to help carry it.
Then when Ralph was about to leave the camp, he passed by the leader's tent to give her a farewell 'gift.' Something he figured would help keep them from doing what they planned without anything seeming out of place that might make them suspicious: He used his magic to have her fall into a deep, restful sleep.
A sleep that should last for several hours. Hours that he planned on using to make sure that Heanith was able to get all the materials back to her cabin before the bandits were ready for her to have done so.
Which hopefully would delay them until the next time that they were supposed to bring materials for her.
When Ralph reached where Heanith's materials had been left, he was surprised to see that all four wooden beams were gone. He hadn't thought that he had been gone that long. Not that he was complaining. If anything, it would make it easier to finish this up earlier before the bandits came back up. With their leader asleep at this point.
However, he wasn't sure about if he remembered the path that Heanith had led him through around all the traps that she'd set. He didn't care to get caught in them himself, so he figured he'd just wait for her to get back to get the next item.
Setting the bag of potatoes down, Ralph took a deep breath, wondering if the bag was just that heavy or if he was just that out of shape. He wasn't really sure how long it had been since they'd started, but he figured it couldn't have been long enough for his muscles to atrophy from lack of usage.
Especially since he'd been carrying that backpack around with a lot of useless weight, like books. Although on the other hand, that backpack hardly felt like it was as heavy as this back of potatoes was, even when he had his backpack full to capacity.
Ralph wasn't sure how long it took before Heanith returned for the next load, but he did notice that he nearly fell asleep three times during that wait. If he had, he worried that his invisibility spell would fade away, leaving him vulnerable to anyone who was an enemy that came up here. Though, if he didn't become visible, he doubted that Heanith would realize he was here and potentially leave him to try and find his way back and try to avoid the traps.
When she started picking up two bars of iron, Ralph got up carefully and picked up his back of potatoes. He wasn't sure if the beams weighed more than the bars of iron, but he could see that she was struggling to carry two of them. Although part of that might have been from being tired through carrying the wooden beams already.
Ralph glanced towards where the bandits were camped and couldn't help but worry that some might actually come back up even if their leader was completely sacked out and wouldn't be able to come up herself. If that was the case, then it was possible that they could be up here at any time to wait for Heanith to get the last of the supplies.
However, it wasn't like there was anything he could do about that. So, when Heanith appeared, Ralph merely lifted up the invisible sack of potatoes and started following her. So he knew that if nothing else, he'd be able to get through this and back to the cabin where he could rest. If nothing else.
However, he was at least determined to help her bring back the sacks of grain, no matter the cost to him. If only so he could reduce the chances of the bandits seeing them get the last of the supplies.
Although, one thing that concerned him was how tired he felt. Not physically tired, but tired in general. For him, that was a sign that he was starting to approach the limits of his magic. Naturally, he knew he could go beyond those for a short period, but he also knew that if he did that, he'd have to rest for a longer time before he could use his magic again without hurting himself.
Still, if it delayed the bandits from reaching Heanith's cabin, then he figured that it would be well worth the risk. As pretty much everything in life was a gamble since you never knew what the outcomes would be at any point.
Even Charlie with her dream about Beth being killed was a gamble. Since it could just very well be a scary dream for her rather than some kind of prophecy or something.
Still, as he followed Heanith, after half an hour, he felt comfortable enough to shed his invisibility. While it was still a risk, he wanted to conserve as much of his magical stamina as he could so that way he wouldn't burn himself out more than absolutely necessary. Although, as he thought about it, putting the leader of the bandits to sleep wasn't strictly necessary, but he hoped it would help at least a little bit.
If nothing else, it might make them more cautious, feeling like someone else might be trying to get past them or something. So long as they didn't think that that 'someone' had already reached Heanith's cabin, it'd go to helping them out at the very least.
When Heanith set the iron bars down next to the wooden beams, they weren't anywhere near the cabin yet. Which hardly surprised Ralph. At least with how quickly she'd been able to move those wooden beams. As it at least explained how she'd been able to get so much done while he was away.
"So, you returned," Heanith said, as if Ralph had done something he'd promised not to do.
"I just listened to the bandits and found out that they're close to figuring out where all of your traps are," Ralph replied, unsure of why he suddenly felt rather defensive about the subject. "I put the leader to sleep with magic and brought you some potatoes."
Ralph couldn't help but feel like he was looking for her approval. He wasn't sure why, but the only woman's approval he'd every really sought before this had been his mother's. Which he couldn't help but feel weird as he compared this situation with that one.
"They're always prodding my traps," Heanith replied dismissively. "They haven't gotten through yet and they won't get through before my project is done. Then their benefactor won't be able to claim it as her creation this time."
Ralph understood not wanting to have the credit for something taken away from who it rightfully belonged to, though he was worried that Heanith wasn't taking this situation seriously. At the very least, he figured that he could help in some way if it came down to it.
"What more do you have left to do on… whatever it is that you were making?" he asked, unsure how else to phrase it.
Heanith merely shrugged. "Just a few more planks and a power source. Truthfully, I might not need all the wooden beams this time, but I can't be sure if burning the wood will be what I'd need power it."
"Uh, what is… 'it?'"
"If you must know, I'll show you and your friends when I get back," Heanith replied. "Maybe one of you can help me figure out a power source that'll actually work."
Ralph opened his mouth to reply, but quickly shut it. He figured that might be the best he'd be able to get, although he was pretty sure that her offer might not be quite as it seemed. Not that he planned on saying anything about that to her.
"Well, in that case, I'll just help you with the sacks of grain," Ralph told her.
"Wait, you're not carrying one of the bags of grain?" he asked, looking a little pale.
"Nope," Ralph answered as cheerfully as he could. "I picked this up from their camp and I made sure they didn't notice a thing about it. Maybe they'll notice it if they do an inventory, but I'm sure they'll suspect each other more than someone like me coming in to take it." Ralph paused a moment before he quickly added, "I mean, they did short you, right? A sack of potatoes is one of the suggestions you made that they could give you in compensation, right?"
Heanith shook her head as she grinned at Ralph. "I'm not sure whether to yell at you or offer you a drink. That's more than I expected from you coming with me."
_
When they finally finished taking all the materials back to the cabin, the sun had set for a few hours. Ralph wasn't sure what time he'd expected to be done with this project, but he was at least confident that it wasn't this late.
He hadn't used as much of his magic as he had been afraid he would when he turned himself invisible as well as the sacks of grain. However, after they'd accomplished that, Ralph started to merely help bring her supplies to her cabin, even though he was pretty sure that he'd have to let her do the heavy lifting because he really didn't want any part of dragging those wooden beams along the ground.
When he dropped the first sack of food just outside the cabin, he couldn't help but let out a sigh. He wasn't sure if he'd worked this hard in his life before on anything. Especially when he'd put himself in that position to begin with.
After the first sack, the sacks of grain feel like the same thing. If anything, it was weird in that it hardly felt like it took any time at all. Either that or he'd zoned out and maybe even took a nap while he was working. If that was possible he wished he could figure out how to do that regularly.
It certainly would make a few things in life a little easier.
After the grain, Ralph helped with the iron bars. Although, he only took one at a time, as he even had to drag one end on the ground in order to move them.
While he had worried about it leaving a trail for the bandits to follow, he had to admit that the wooden beams were more of a threat of that happening than the iron bars. Which was something Heanith didn't seem concerned about herself.
When it was all done, he went inside to let the others know what was now outside and so he could take a break. He was just exhausted.
Though, part of him wondered if maybe he had used up too much of his magic that day. If he had, it didn't feel like it was enough to affect him too much once he had a chance to rest, but he figured he should play it safe and see about getting one of those rocks to help recharge his magic.
If nothing else, it would allow him to have a little bit of magic in the event the bandits did show up, despite Heanith's assurances that they wouldn't.
"What're you doing?" Heanith asked as Ralph rummaged through his backpack. He knew that he had some of the stones in his backpack, but not where.
"Just looking for something," he replied absently. "I might have overdone it on my magic a little, so I was getting something to help with that."
"Some invention that I wasn't aware of since I isolated myself here?" she asked, her tone half mocking, half serious.
"Nah, just something me and my friends came across when we were on our way to this world," Ralph replied, pulling out one of the rocks, having finally found where he'd stashed them. One thing he like about these rocks was that just holding it was helping him with his magic. The effect was always instantaneous from what he could tell.
"What are they?"
Ralph merely shrugged. "Just some rocks we found that will help us restore our magic when we're in contact with them."
"Mind if I look at one?" she asked, sounding a little different from how she had sounded before. Not that Ralph really cared. It didn't matter to him at all, so long as he was able to keep the one he was holding and recover his magi a little.
"Sure," he said, pulling another one out and tossing it to her.
"What're you guys doing?" Amelia asked suddenly, coming out from a hallway, having apparently finished some sweeping, considering the broom in one hand and a dustpan full of debris in the other.
"Just talking with Heanith," Ralph answered simply. "We got the materials she ordered outside. Might be good if you could get the others to help bring it all inside."
"Not a problem," Amelia said cheerfully. "I'll just let them know really quick."
–Hey guys! They finished bringing the materials back. Anyone up to bringing them inside? We can finally see what kinds of materials she's been getting!– she called out with her magic.
Amelia turned to head towards the door, but stopped after a moment. "Uh, what does she look like she might cry?" she asked Ralph, causing him to turn to look at Heanith.
Surprisingly, Amelia was right. Heanith did look like she was about to cry. A sight that Ralph would have thought impossible given how gruff she'd been to him and his friends since they'd known her.
"I think I finally found my power source," Heanith replied before either could say anything else.