I don't remember when we started moving again. Nor when we even left the area.
Everything became a blur. And the next thing I knew we were walking towards camp again. Thorpe close by and constantly glancing over at me as if he thought I'd vanish.
My body feels numb. Hands won't stop sweating even with a chill in the wind and the cold rain still pattering the tree tops.
That man's face won't leave my mind like it's branded to the back of my eyes. Mouth opening and closing for air helplessly. The way his body still grasped around for support.
He had had been begging for his life only seconds before…
My lip starts to quiver again as emotion wells up. I inhale sharply, tensing up to stop a flood of fresh tears. Gritting my teeth in frustration.
Thorpe must notice the tension in my face so he slows his pace and starts to turn to me to say something but I quickly shake my head. Holding up a hand to stop him.
"Don't…please…I'm fine." Is what ends up stumbling out of my mouth after I caught a glimpse of the sad expression on Old Guards face. And my panicked attempt to pass it off just seems to make that expression worse. But he doesn't push it and continues on.
I can tell he's not happy with himself. It isn't the first time I've seen that 'I screwed up' look in his eyes. And I'm starting to realize he might be just as hard on himself as I am.
But his concern isn't unwarranted. I don't feel okay. Not physically nor mentally.
I mean it isn't like I'm unfamiliar with death. I've been there when some of the elders in the village have passed on. And I've seen animals get butchered by the Cooks plenty of times.
I've killed monsters! I've even decapited a couple of them. I did that literally this morning. This should not be affecting me like this. He was probably planning on hurting us. He deserved it. He…
But just as my mind trails back to the archer his death flashes past again. My body twitches and my stomach drops. Exhaling sharply through my teeth. Fighting to keep myself from losing it.
I manage. Atleast a little bit. Keeping my eyes forward while we continue towards our camp site.
It doesn't take too much longer before we find our spot. The fire from last night still nicely snuffed out and our belongings undisturbed from their hiding places beneath the dirt. Thorpe lights a few fresh flash torches and tosses them to sides of the camp. The area is being rained on due to the opening in the canopy so we end up getting a bit wet as we collect all of what we left behind. Because it's obvious we aren't staying anymore.
This trip has what Thorpe usually likes to say, 'Gone to hell'. And from what we just learned from the archer, things at home are even worse than we could have imagined.
But I enjoy the moment of peace just focusing on packing things. Helps clear my head. Atleast a little bit.
But that ends when Thorpe approaches me. Stopping a couple feet away. "Liore…we need to talk…"
I flinch as he speaks, which makes his next breath hitch in his throat. And that certainly doesn't make me feel any better.
"I said I'm fine. We have to hurry back home. No time to waste." I answer with as much confidence as I can muster. Which is not a lot.
He is quiet for a moment, giving me time enough to finish closing up the bag I was packing before he speaks again. "You know that ain't right."
I finish securing the bag with my back facing him. My face twisting up in a grimace as I fight back another flood of tears threatening to break loose. "What…do you want me to say?" I ask quietly. "That I'm scared of you now?"
A short but painful silence from his side. "You would have every right to be…"
A hard frown carves itself into my face in quick succession. My head turning slightly in his direction but not enough to see him in my peripheral yet. "Why?! He was probably going to hurt us. He was hunting us basically. It's not a big deal. Im just being a…being a baby." My voice stutters at the end as my throat tightens up. Gritting my teeth to choke back a sob.
I hear him take a couple steps closer. "Liore that doesn't matter. Whether or not he was planning on hurting us." Thorpe says lightly. "I just TORTURED and EXECUTED a person in front of you with barely any context as to why."
My faces scrunches up and my head lowers. Cause he's right. I know he is. Of course he is. "But…obviously you did it because you thought it was necessary. And I TRUST you."
He sighs. "And I appreciate that. That means a lot. But still…it's not like I have a habit of killing people in front of you. That wasn't exactly on my lesson plan…" Old Guard states with a slight sternness. "I have shown you a side of myself suddenly that I never intended to and you are understandably in SHOCK because of it." The old man pauses to take a breath. "So we NEED to clear this out before we can discuss our current problem."
My body is still tensed up but my face has atleast relaxed some. Taking a deep breath. "What do you mean?"
Thorpe clears his throat. "I'm going to tell you who those people are. Which I should have done hours ago."
That does get my attention a bit more. He's been trying to avoid talking about the group we met since we left them. "Then why didn't you?"
The old man gives a low hum. "I wasn't sure about it…and I didn't want to scare you for nothing if I was wrong. But they was a mistake…"
I finally turn in his direction. My mouth curling into a frown at the still persistent sad look in his eyes. But atleast he looks more determined now.
After taking a deep breath, I nod to him "Then …the people we met…who are they?"
The old man places his hands on his hips and sighs. "Their bandits…"
My brows furrow. "Bandits? Like the ones who steal from our caravan during the sale season?"
Thorpe sighs a little in relief. "Yes. Good. I'm glad Yara hasn't sheltered you from stuff like that atleast."
I nod slowly, pursing my lips. "She likes to rant about the harvest reports to me a lot…and I've heard the guards talk about it."
Thorpe gives a genuine smile and shakes his head. "Of course she does. Alright, then you have obviously heard the term Bandit before in passing. But the couple clans we have around the Camden region are small time and they usually avoid killing people. It'd cause too many problems for them." Old Guards expression turns serious and stern. That all too familiar teacher mode.
Sensing that, I turn my undivided attention to him.
"Let me make this clear to start. Bandits are people…albeit very unfortunate and unlucky people." He states clearly. "[Bandit] is one of very few 'Cursed' classes. Their born with it, just like us. But the [Bandit] class works a bit differenty than ours."
My face scrunches up in bewilderment. "Their actual class is Bandit?"
Old Guard nods. "Yes. And in terms of ability they are far more versatile than us." He admits before grimacing. "I hate to compare people to monsters but there is no better comparison. They can evolve just like them. And they can evolve into numerous sub-classes equivalent to things like Knights, Warriors, Rangers. Even get a lot of the same skills too. And some of them can learn magic just like that Mage, Dreyfus."
My tension from before has faded into the background while listening intently to Thorpes explaination. A little stunned at the description. "That…sounds incredible. Their free to become whatever class they want? How is that a curse?"
The old man nods slowly, folding his arms over his chest. "Yeah, sounds nice doesn't it. But that's where the catch comes in." He states plainly. "There is two aspects to the [Bandit] class that make it a raw deal. The first being they can ONLY learn offensive and defensive skills. No production skills whatsoever. They cannot create anything themselves."
I raise a brow. "But Dreyfus had his cantrips. Doesn't he have to make those?"
Old Guard scoffs. "Oh he definitely stole those. Or hopefully just bought them somewhere. They can be relatively cheap for Merc's." He states before scratching his chin in thought. "Nah…he definitely stole them."
I frown pretty hard at that. The memory of using a cantrip for the first time souring a bit. "But…what about Tarfyr? You called him a [Druid]."
The old man's face wrinkles with worry. "Right…him. Yeah he's a [Beast Druid], a rare class native to the Beast Isle of Hascus which is ruled by the Beast Saint. " Clearing his throat. " So you'll be happy to know he definitely isn't a Bandit. But he's either being paid really well…or the Mage has him in a life debt thing. My guess is the latter."
I tilt my head at that. "A life debt?"
He sighs. "Yeah it's a cultural thing. It means the Mage must have spared his life and he's now indebted to him." Shaking his head. "It also means he'll basically die for him. Which is a big problem for us…"
The look on Thorpes face definitely says it all. The old man isn't sure he can take him on. Which is very concerning. Thorpe is likely one of the strongest people in the region but if even he's unsure about fighting Tarfyr then we are definitely in trouble.
I set that aside for now. "But back to the Bandit thing. So they can freely learn to be equivalent to regular classes but only combat classes?"
Thorpe nods. "More or less. There are many skills they don't have an equivalent for like Paladin and Cleric ones. I don't know much about their higher ranks tho. But they have no capability to be healers or supports which makes things very difficult for them." He explains while strapping on his heavier pack. "But most of all their people don't have an equivalent for things like cooks or farmers. So they are pretty much boxed in for survival options. Regular villages won't sell to them so their only real option is stealing. But what's worse is that their Class rewards them for doing it."
My eyes widen. "Wait…it rewards them for stealing!?" I ask incredulously. I mean I guess I should have figured that out since their Class is literally Bandit. But it's just baffling to hear that such a class even exists.
Thorpe gives me a solemn look. Our equipment packed and ready. The flash torches we set out are dimming low and letting the dark creep back in.
"That's the second catch…and the worst one." That stoney expression has settled back onto his face. "They dont get experience from killing monsters at all. Which is what tipped me off the most earlier. Cause no Merc worth their grit would argue against getting experience from a big kill like that."
My brows furrow in confusion. "But their combat classes. How do they get experience if they can't hunt monsters?"
The old man frowns. "Liore…I just told you. They get rewarded for stealing." He pauses, giving me a pointed look. "What else do you think they get rewarded for?"
It doesn't take but a second more for me to understand what he's alluding to.
I become eerily aware of my own heartbeat. Thumping right into my ears as a tightness forms in my chest.
"They get experience for…killing people?"
"Exactly." Old Guard confirms. "And like Monsters, it's how they evolve. All of their sub-classes don't just show up with basic training." He explains further with that frightening stoney expression. "They literally STEAL it from you…by taking your life."
My blood runs cold. "So if they have good skills…"
The old man sighs. "Yes. It's because they've murdered people to get them…"