The moon was silver.
The trees still.
The fire ahead was too large for comfort.
From the tree line, I saw them forty men, loud, drunk, armed. They laughed like jackals, their campfire lighting up stolen cloaks, broken armor, and bloodstained spears. I saw caged livestock, sacks of wheat with village's seal.
"There a lot of them, almost like a small army."
Bandits. Not just thieves, but slavers, raiders, killers, i knew they were common in the new world, but the idea of them makes me sick.
They too close to the village. Too dangerous to let live. I felt no fear. Only how to get rid of them, the simplest way i can. I waited for three hours, watching their rotation. Most were already asleep. Only one guard remained: a woman with a crooked spear and lazy posture.
"Good. First target."
Her name was Lera. She had been with the gang two years good at dice, decent with a blade, but terrible at watch duty. Tonight, like many others, she was bored. She leaned on her spear, staring at the embers.
"Damn nobles… if they sent troops, we'd have seen them by now," she mumbled.
She heard a branch snap behind her. She spun, frowning.
"Garin, that you?" she whispered.
Silence.
She turned fully and that's when I struck. My hand clamped around her mouth. My other hand wrapped around her neck like a vise.
CRACK.
Her spine folded beneath my strength like a dry twig. Her body went limp before she could scream. I lowered her gently, so she wouldn't fall noisily.
One down.
And then, I moved into the camp.
They slept in scattered circles, some snoring, others curled near the fire. A few were muttering in dreams. I walked between them like a ghost.
"Two."
"Three."
"Four."
Each one hand over mouth, neck crushed, laid silently back on their bedrolls.
Jero, a younger bandit, half-drunk, woke in the middle of the night to piss. He noticed something off.
The fire was low… too low.
He glanced around and saw Holt, lying still, eyes open, mouth hanging. Too still.
"Oi, Holt—"
Before he could finish, my hand covered his face, yanking him back into the trees.
He struggled. I let him twist just enough to feel hope before slamming his skull into a tree trunk, cracking it open.
"Five."
The next ones I strangled, one by one, sometimes dragging them behind trees or rocks, sometimes killing them where they lay. The more I moved, the more fluid I became. My body adjusted. My awareness sharpened. My instincts clicked.
I felt it:
"Assassin..Level 1, or i think it is assassin."
Then later:
"Level 2."
-Bandit Leader's Pov
The boss, Karn, stirred when the fire had died to embers. He opened his eyes and noticed the silence.
Too quiet.
He sat up, grabbing his iron sword. All around him, his men slept… too still.
"Lera?" he called.
"Garin?"
No answer.
He moved to shake Boril awake, but Boril's skin was cold.
Karn's heart stopped.
He stepped back and I stepped out of the dark.
"You."
He didn't get the chance to say more.
I was behind him in a blink.
One arm pinned his sword, the other wrapped around his throat, and I lifted him off the ground as he thrashed like a dog.
"I don't kill because I enjoy it," I whispered.
"I kill because you are guys are too close to my home."
CRUNCH.
His body twitched once, then went still.
"Forty."
Dawn painted the camp in quiet light. Forty bodies. Not a single scream had escaped. Bloodless. Clean.
I gathered their weapons. Most were crude spears made from snapped shafts and kitchen knives. A few had actual iron swords two long swords, well-balanced, though not masterwork. I took those.
I looted what little coin they had roughly 7 silver and 40 copper. Not much, but enough to live on for a week or two in the city. Then I looked at the cleared camp. I left the bodies in a line, swords placed on their chests like mock offerings, as i destoryed their skulls, so they don't come back as undead. Let the next fool see what happens when trash gathers near my village. The rest of the trip was peaceful. Almost insultingly so. Birds chirped. Trees swayed. The wind was soft and smelled of pine. Erantel's walls finally came into view high, black stone, thick gates, armored guards. I was sweaty, a little sore, and two levels stronger than when I'd left home. But more than that… I just killed the first humans i met outside my village, and i don't bad at all, i guess i fit in the new world now.
[REN INFO CARD]
vermin killer: 8/15
Farmer:4/15
Carpentry:1/15
Blacksmith:1/10
Cleaner:10/15
Cook:1/10
Herbalist:1/10
Hunter:2/10
Tailor:1/10
Gardener:1/10
Assassin:2/10
Total Level: 32