The Plot Thickens

The sight of our ship in the midst of the bandit camp was a gut punch. We hid behind a large boulder, watching the goings-on around our captive vessel.

"Dude, how are we going to get our ship back from them?" Fitt questioned, his voice just above a whisper. The worry in his voice matched the knot in my stomach.

"Let's think this through," I said, my gaze locked onto our ship. "We can't just run in guns blazing. There's too many of them. We need a plan, something smart and subtle."

Fitt let out a breathy chuckle, "Subtle, huh? You know that's not really my strong suit."

"I know," I said, offering him a small smile. "But it's what we need to do."

We lapsed into a contemplative silence, both of us lost in thought. The sun was beginning to dip, casting long shadows and painting the sky with hues of orange and pink. Time was running out.

Finally, Fitt broke the silence, his voice hushed. "What if we create a diversion? Something to draw them away from the ship?"

I looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "Go on," I said, curious about his line of thought.

"Well," he started, his gaze flicking to our ship and then back to me, "the terrain here is pretty rugged, right? We could trigger a rock slide or something, get them scrambling."

I considered it, the plan had potential. It was risky, very risky, but then so was every other option we had.

"Okay," I said, nodding slowly. "Let's do it. But we need to be careful. If we get buried in the rock slide, there's no way we're getting to that ship."

Fitt grinned, "Oh, don't worry about that, Moe. When have I ever let you down?"

As Fitt sprinted off, I watched him, a sense of unease creeping over me. This was either the best or worst plan we'd come up with yet. Time would tell.

As the last vestiges of light disappeared, Fitt returned, a look of satisfaction on his face. "It's all set," he said, a gleam in his eye.

"Alright," I said, taking a deep breath. "Let's do this."

As we made our way to our designated spots, I couldn't help but feel a knot tighten in my stomach. I glanced over at Fitt, who gave me a reassuring nod. With one last deep breath, I gave the signal.

And then the world erupted.

The cliffside came tumbling down, an avalanche of rock and dust. The camp erupted into chaos as the bandits scrambled to avoid the cascading debris.

As we prepared to make our move, a guttural roar echoed through the valley. From the treeline, a colossal creature burst forth, its many eyes fixed on the bandits. It was a native beast, startled by the rockslide, and it was headed straight for the camp.

This was not part of the plan.

And then, it saw us.