"GGRRRRRRR!"
I grunt as my muscles scream in protest. My arms looped around my mother's midsection as I drag her out of the kitchen and into the den. Tears streaming down my face as I fight against my exhaustion and pain. Trying to get her away from the man now half buried into a crater of shattered wood flooring.
Even if I most certainly just killed him.
With another groan, I pull her over to the firepit where the fur rug is and collapse with her onto it. Scrambling over her, my hands frantically checking her for any open wounds but my eyes are too blurred. "Mama. Mama, please be okay." I babble almost incoherently.
A slow breath escapes from her busted lip, her mouth forming words too weak to hear. But her eyes do open slowly as her hands lift gradually towards me.
All the adrenaline and fury empty out of me in an instant. Leaving me a trembling and sobbing mess that crawls into my mother's possessive arms to hold her as tightly as I can without breaking her.
She gently encloses me, pulling me deeper into her as she shakily presses a kiss against my forehead. But her voice continues to come out in barely even a whisper.
"Please be okay, Mama." I whimper, my hands getting tangled in her hair. "P-please don't leave me."
She pets the back of my head painfully slowly, every breath she takes sounding like a challenge.
BANG
My skin nearly jumps off my body as the sound echoes in the cottage. Coming from the entrance area. Followed by hurried footsteps towards the kitchen.
A surge of energy flows back into my body as my senses go back on the defensive. Shakily raising myself to my knees despite my mother's protesting grasps.
I'm not able to stand up fully, but I can at least put myself in the way of whoever comes at us next.
I hear the kitchen door open with a creak, as well as shouting from outside.
"Good lord..." I hear a familiar drawl. "LIORE! YARA!"
Relief hits me again, almost causing me to collapse as my stuttering voice takes a few tries before I can form a response. "IN—IN HERE!"
His approach is immediate, Thorpe rounding the corner from the kitchen doorway into the den. The old man going pale at the sight of us.
Old Guard tosses his spear to the side carelessly before rushing over to us, going low as I finally lose balance and fall forward into his arms. "I gotcha, I gotcha!" Scooping me up and holding me tightly to him while he kneels next to my mother. Reaching out his hand to touch her bruised cheek. "Yara. You still with me?" He asks in a shaky voice.
Mama takes in a full gulp of air for a good ten seconds before groaning out, "Uh, huh..."
Thorpe lets out a nervous breath, "You better be. You ain't dyin before me." He states bluntly.
More footsteps approach, several stomping their way inside. One of them loud and rattling on plated greaves. Ethel steps into view of the kitchen doorway, grimacing at the [Bandits] mangled corpse before joining us. Concern set hard in her features. A slight panic to her tone. "Are they alright?"
Thorpe looks over his shoulder and lifts me up. "Take her. Check her over for me. I'll handle Yara."
Ethel does so quickly, taking me in the exchange and setting me down onto the floor to examine me. Which hurts almost immediately as she locates the few cuts over my arms and hips. As well as the bruise on my abdomen. But all my attention is aimed towards my mother. "I-I-I don't know what's wrong with her. She's really weak, having trouble breathing." I stutter through in a panic, nearly bursting into tears again.
Thorpe carefully looks over my mother's body, moving her nightgown out of the way in some parts until he exposes a cut on her shoulder where blood has leaked up the side of her neck and head when she was being carried.
He leans down and sniffs around the cut, then takes another careful breath. Looking over his shoulder again. "Reaper Worm poison. Pretty diluted. She's just lethargic. It's the same stuff they used on us out in the forest."
Ah. So that's why it felt so familiar.
My body slumps fully under Ethel's care, the last bit of energy vanishing for real. "I knew something smelled weird. I think he cut me with it too. But for some reason, it didn't work on me. He was surprised I woke up." I comment before wincing as the [Knight] checks around my head.
Ethel's nose wrinkles, moving her gauntleted hand more gently as she turns my head. "That looks bad. What did he hit you with?"
I take a breath, my eyes twitching as I recover from the spike of pain. "He hit me with the gripe of his flashpipe."
She nods slowly. "You definitely have a concussion. He hit you pretty hard. So try not to move too much right now. And if you start feeling sleepy, let us know." She warns, staring at me seriously.
"Yes, ma'am." I mutter in response.
A sound of someone grunting takes our attention as we all turn to look into the kitchen. Arric is gripping the bandit's collar as he lifts the corpse out of the jagged crater of wood in the floor. But to my displeasure, the only part of his head that comes out is his lower jaw and his exposed tongue that flops around loosely from a gaping neck hole. The rest sloughs off in a fleshy sack of red mush and white fragments. Tearing free before splattering back into the hole.
The sight of which makes me gag and dry heave off to the side. Several disgusted voices echoing from the other room as well.
Ethel slowly looks back down to me with a rather pale face. "You really did a number on that one."
I take a few seconds to make sure I'm not going to throw up before I match her gaze, "He tried to take my mother and kicked her in the face." I state flatly, "I didn't mean to go that far. He just—made me really mad."
I hadn't really been thinking straight at the time to be fair. But the feeling of his head caving in under my feet, especially the sound it made, is going to haunt me forever.
Thorpe furrows his brows and looks down at my mother. "What the hell would they want with her?"
Ethel shakes her head, "I'm not sure. I know [Bandits] tend to take [Farmers] quite frequently to grow their food. But this timing wouldn't make sense for it. The group we're dealing with is far too small to move captures. And besides, they would just take the whole village at that point."
Thorpe growls under his breath, "God damnit." He grunts, checking over Mama's face before he seems satisfied enough. "I don't know if you have a concussion too, but better safe than sorry. Other than that, you just gotta let the poison wear off and deal with bein' a little more ugly than usual." He says to her with a slightly worried smile.
To which Mama groans and rolls her eyes in response.
Thorpe seems relieved to see that. Scooping her up into his arms and setting her into one of the furred rocking chairs, making sure she's comfortable. "Just sit tight. We're gonna do another full sweep and make sure we're not missing any more surprise guests." He says, giving her a pat on the leg.
My brows furrow at that, giving a glance to the corpse in the kitchen. But it seems it's been moved out of sight of the doorway. "Was that not one of the two?"
Ethel frowns and shakes her head. "No. This one we weren't aware of." She answers honestly as she stands up and walks into the kitchen to look left. Where I assume the body has been moved to.
I flinch as Thorpe suddenly lifts me before lowering me into my mother's lap. Her arms already poised to ensnare me. "The other two are dead. Although they caught on real quick and tried to tuck and run. Had to chase them out into the Meld." He details, pulling in a few of the furs to cover us with. "They didn't get far. But I guess it was far enough to try to pull whatever the hell this was."
I nod slowly at the information. "He knew about me. Said that he heard about me being a littlemonster."
Old Guard squats next to the chair, resting his elbows on his knees. A grimace settling into his features, "Yeah, well, they've been spying on us. And we already know they watched you and Ethel sparring. So they probably know what to expect from the lot of us." His head turns to glance towards the kitchen briefly. "Well. Didn't really work for him, though."
The corners of my mouth tilt down slightly, and I let out a sigh as I lean into my mother's chest. "Barely. I handled him a lot better than the [Highwayman]. But he was still beating me down." I admit quietly. "If Mama hadn't grabbed his leg and tripped him, he probably would have killed me."
My mother's arms tighten around me comfortingly. Her thumb rubbing my shoulder. It sounds like she is trying to say something, but it just comes out in a raspy mumble. But I can easily assume that she's trying to scold me for being negative just from her tone.
Old Guard shakes his head and waves dismissively, "Don't fret on the details right now. He wasn't paying attention to his surroundings, and that got him killed. That's all that matters."
Thorpe's brows lift briefly as he seems to notice something. Pulling a handkerchief out of his belt, along with his flask. The burning scent of alcohol hits my nose as he unseals it before soaking the scrap of cloth in it.
Old Guard gives me a glance as he reaches over to grasp onto one of my ankles. "Scuse me one moment. You've got a bit of the poor bastard still on you." He comments as he starts wiping down the soles of my feet.
My eyes widen at that, slapping a hand over my mouth as another dry heave lurches my head forward. I swallow hard and let out a shaky breath. "Thank you..."
Thorpe offers an understanding nod in return as the sound of more footsteps entering the cottage echoes through.
"Where are they?" I hear Lord Felix ask with strong command.
"They're in the Den, my Lord. You might want to use the other door. The kitchen is a bit gruesome." Ethel calls out.
"Oh come now. I am an [Inspector]. I have seen my fair share of violent aftermath." The nobleman responds before the creak of the kitchen door opening. Then, a long silence holds for several seconds. "Oh my..."
Lord Felix appears in the open doorway with a silky white cloth held over his mouth and nose. Leaning over the crater in the floor before quickly turning away to wretch into his cloth. He rests his hand on the door frame while clearing his throat before he steps into the den with us.
He stows away the cloth into the fine red bathrobe he is currently wearing over his pajamas. His eyes scanning us with a flash of concern. "Absolutely dreadful what they've done to you." He comments with a frown, glancing at Thorpe. "How are they?"
Old Guard finishes cleaning the remnants of the [Bandits] head off my feet before he faces the nobleman. "They'll be fine. Liore's got a gnarly concussion, and Yara is working some anesthetic out of her system. Both of them just need to hit the hey without anymore disturbance."
Lord Felix's shoulders relax at that, his expression becoming less strained. "Good." He mutters, resting his hands in the pockets of his bathrobe. "This was our first move, and it's already turning into quite a blunder. Do we know when this third one showed up?"
Ethel clears her throat in the doorway to catch his attention, "Arric thinks Quinn and Barton were likely spotted and followed. Which I can't rightly fault them for not noticing. A terrifying amount of these bastards have the [Shadow Cloak] skill somehow, this new one likely included."
Thorpe nods in agreement as he stands, tossing the soiled handkerchief into the red cinders of the firepit. "The two we caught both said they got the message to fall back, guessing from our kidnapper here. They were supposed to rally and wait for the rest at a forward camp about an hour north of us."
The nobleman's nose wrinkles. "Blast. So no time to realign. We continue with this gambit." He grumbles, reaching up to stroke his round chin. "Then I assume you'll be leaving soon?"
The [Knight] nods, "Yes, my lord. Auguste, Arric, and I will leave with my men in the next few hours. We'll ambush them on their way in and remove their numbers from the equation."
"And if we're lucky, I can take the [Highwayman] out with them." Thorpe adds, lifting his hand and calling his spear over. The weapon appearing in a flare of golden light before he taps the end of it on the floor.
I purse my lips, a worrying question emerging in my mind. "What if he isn't with them?" I ask quietly, lifting my head off of my mother's chest. "The [Scouts] said that he was coming and going every few days, and was already gone before they left."
Thorpe nods and sighs heavily, "That is the gamble we are taking here. But even if he isn't with them, I can make cleaning up his lackies go a lot faster. And I don't think he would try something again on his own."
I can't help but frown at his response. I want to trust his judgement, but he's been wrong several times now. "Why can't we just stick together and defend the village. We have the walls and a lot of capable fighters. Wouldn't that be a lot safer?"
Old Guard opens his mouth to answer, but Ethel stops him with a raise of her hand, looking to me herself. "That might seem like the safer option on the surface. But we would actually be at a far worse disadvantage if we did." She states sternly but sympathetically. "[Bandits] are experts at fighting other humans. That includes raiding villages. And we are talking about a group that has likely been watching this exact village for years now. So they know everything about it."
She isn't even finished and I'm already understanding her line of reasoning. And I can't tell if that makes me feel better or worse.
"If we stick to defense and wait for them to come to us, they can set the battle however they want. We'll practically be in their grasp. Which is why we are choosing offense instead. Meet them halfway and break them while they're trying to regroup." Ethel continues, pounding her gauntleted fist into the palm of her other hand for emphasis. "That is the option that gives us the most edge and avoids imperiling the village any further."
Thorpe nods in agreement, but Lord Felix doesn't look anymore happy about the plan than I do. But I can't argue against it. It does make sense.
But it still leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
Thorpe reaches over and pats the top of my head. "But you'll have all of our [Guards] here, plus Steppan and the two [Scouts]. And you'll be helping them keep an eye on Mr. Fancy here." He says with a chuckle, aiming a thumb towards the nobleman.
Lord Felix wrinkles his nose and raises his chin at the jest. "That is LORD Fancy to you, Mr. Thorpe."
A tired smile creeps up on my face at that. Obviously noticing that they are trying to lighten the mood for me. "I'll do my best."
The nobleman nods curtly. "You shall. But enough of this dreary atmosphere. We have wounded to tend to." He turns his attention up to Ethel. "Take them both to the guest house. Use from my supply of the mid-grade health tonics. That should clear up the concussion so both of them can sleep safely."
The [Knight] smiles warmly and bows her head. "Understood." She states before turning her attention back to me. "Can you stand?"
I look down at myself and flex my legs, really feeling the ache. The stamina drain from using that mid-leap kick really took a lot out of me. But I think I can manage.
My mother whines in response as I pull free from her grasp and slide to the floor. Wobbling a bit on the first step but I just barely keep my balance. Ethel and Thorpe both flinching slightly forward before relaxing. "I can walk. Just have to be slow, I think." I admit with a slow breath.
The [Knight] still looks a bit nervous but nods. "Good. But let me know if you start to struggle." She asks before she steps in towards the rocking chair to slip her arms beneath my mother and lift her into a carry. "Pardon me, Mrs. Perro. Just a brisk walk."
My mother sighs heavily and begrudgingly leans into the other woman's breastplate. Ethel already moving her across the den to the entranceway door, leaving me to catch up.
I start to follow but stop myself as a thought occurs to me. Turning around to face Thorpe. "You aren't going to be here when I wake up, are you?"
Thorpe's eyes widen briefly, but he cracks a small smile after. "Probably, yeah." He answers honestly. "But I'll be back in no time. So don't bother being all concerned or nothin. Waste of energy."
My lips purse at that, a little annoyed at how casual he's trying to be with such a dangerous situation. Taking a step forward to wrap my arms around his upper body and resting my cheek against his chest. "Just don't die, idiot."
Old Guard chuckles, returning the embrace and patting my back. "I don't plan on it. Now, go get some sleep. I need you up and alert."
I nod, giving him one last squeeze before stepping back and running past Lord Felix to catch up with Ethel.
The moment I step out into the night air it feels like I've crossed a barrier. I hadn't realized how much the smell of blood had been permeating in there until clean oxygen hits my lungs. Sending waves of relief throughout my body.
Thankfully Ethel hasn't made it too far. Just now making it over the bridge.
The trek over to the guesthouse only takes a few minutes, so I don't put that much more strain on myself. Although I could have remembered to put on my boots or something. But it's too late to circle back.
Ethel waits outside of the door so I can open it for her. Letting her into the guest house's living area. Both of us stopping to see Wuinn and Barton nearby, in the process of getting some of their gear on.
Both of them look pretty perked up since I last saw them a few hours ago. They've obviously had baths. Barton has also shaved his blonde stubble, making him look even younger despite his somewhat chiseled features.
But Wuinn makes me freeze up slightly.
She had been pretty greasy and dirty since I saw her the first time. Even before they left to spy on the [Bandits]. And she always had her hood up.
But now that she's cleaned, I can see all of her freckles and her wavy auburn hair. A few little scars scattered around her face and making these neat little shallow channels in her skin.
There's something about her that makes my cheeks feel warm. Not entirely sure why. She's surprisingly pretty, though.
Wuinn finishes buckling on her boot before stepping forward, both she and Barton looking concerned at the state of us. "What happened? We heard a flashpipe go off..." she asks worriedly, glancing between my mother limply laying in Ethel's arms and me in a bloody nightgown.
The [Knight] sighs, adjusting Mama in her arms. "Well, we pinned down the two [Bandits] that were watching us. Just for a surprise third to make an attempt to capture Mrs. Perro." She explains, then nods her head towards me. "Liore took issue with that and—well, he won't be a problem anymore."
Both of the [Scouts] glance over at me for a moment. Barton clearing his throat, "How was there a third? I thought the Hascan made sure there were only two around here?"
Ethel's lips tighten at that, "There was. This one was new. Arric thinks you might have been followed."
Both of the [Scouts] expressions immediately sour. Barton's turning almost darkly angry. "Of course he'd blame us."
The [Knight's] nose wrinkles. "Ease up, Barton. He's not out to get you. Several of these [Bandits] have the [Shadow Cloak] skill. So it would have been almost impossible to notice."
He definitely doesn't ease up, instead kicking his boots back off. "Sure. But if we were followed, one of us would have noticed even if we couldn't see him." He retorts before tapping Wuinn on the shoulder. "Come on. Let's just go back to bed."
Wuinn gives him a nod and tilts her head towards the stairs. "Go ahead. I'll be there in a minute."
Barton grumbles at the response but moves back down the hall and ascends to the second floor. The sound of a door slamming a few seconds later.
The female [Scout] turns back to us and folds her arms. "It's possible we could have been. We were trying to get back quickly after that [Highwayman] left. We were too worried to leave with him still there."
Ethel shakes her head. "Nothing you did wrong. And it was just Arric's consideration. But we have new information from the original two [Bandits]. So I'll be heading out with Mr. Thorpe in a few hours. You and Barton will stay here to protect Lord Felix and the village with Liore and the rest of the [Guards]."
Wuinn takes in a slow breath and nods her understanding. "Yes, Captain."
Ethel relaxes and smiles, "Now, don't let Barton gripe at you the entire night. You deserve the rest."
The [Scout] smirks slightly, "I'll knock him out if he does." She says slyly before turning and heading back upstairs as well. Ethel and I following right behind her.
I've never actually been up here before. The second floor is just a straight hallway with four doors to the guest rooms on the left side.
We watch Wuinn enter the second to last one. Ethel stopping us at the door right before that.
"Lord Felix is staying in the furthest one." The [Knight] comments, opening the door into the quaint living quarters. A decently sized bed on the right side with a desk and chair on the left. The window right between them. And a small door next to the entrance leads into a very tiny washroom with a small metal tube to bathe in.
It's connected to a pipe that leads outside when you need to drain it. I've heard it leaks a lot though.
"I'm going to go fetch those tonics from his lordship's room. I can help you get her cleaned up and into bed."
I nod slowly, letting my shoulders relax. Still feeling rather flighty. "Thank you, Ethel." I ask quietly, looking up at her tiredly.
She gives me a sympathetic look in return after she lays my mother down onto the bed. Turning back around to face me. "Will you be alright? What happened in there could not have been easy."
I just stare at her for a moment, wondering really how to answer that. Because I'm truly not sure how I should feel about it. My mother almost being taken certainly doesn't make me feel good. Nor does almost dying again because I'm still not good enough.
But the one thing that keeps clicking in my head over and over is how easy it felt to kill him.
I already knew how strong the kick would be. I knew he would probably die. But crushing his head like that was still far and beyond what I expected to happen.
And as gross and shocking as it was—I don't feel bad about it at all. Which is what actually scares me.
"I don't really know." I answer honestly, offering a shrug along with it. "May just need to sleep on it."
She holds my gaze for a long moment, a frowning pulling down the corners of her mouth. But eventually, she nods. "That is fair. Then, let's get you both cleaned up."
Ethel leaves the room briefly to fetch a few mid-grade healing potions, which are much stronger than the simple red ones I'd usually take for cuts and bruises. But a concussion is pretty serious.
The [Knight] removes her armor so that she can help me clean the blood off of Mama before helping me as well. Scrubbing away the deep red patches. Both mine and someone elses.
"You have quite the strong figure!" She beams, "You remind me of myself when I was your age." She comments while I'm drying off. My cheeks burning at the compliment.
"I like it. Makes me look strong. Even though my strength stat is still at 2." I say a bit begrudgingly. "But Thorpe and Mama say strength is hard to raise after that."
She chuckles while putting her plates back on. "Indeed, it is. Dexterity goes up so quickly at the start and then soft caps around 4 or 5. But strength becomes a pain in the ass right off the bat." She confirms.
I slip on the spare nightgown Ethel ran out to get me a moment ago. My mother already sinking into the bed with a quiet sigh, her movements already getting more fluid and less sluggish.
"Bed..." she croaks out at me, her hands grabbing the air in my direction.
Ethel smiles warmly, picking the rest of her stuff up to put on later. "Seems I'm being shooed away. Have a good rest. I'll see you in a few days."
I nod slowly, my sensitive emotional state moving me towards her to give her a quick hug. One that she accepts gratefully with a satisfied smile.
"You make my heart ache for home. Haven't hugged my sons for so long now." She mutters, pulling back to give me a wave before she steps out of the room.
"She shouldn't—say things like that—bad luck." Mama comments quietly.
I turn around to purse me lips at her. "Mama, don't say things like that. We don't need that kind of talk."
Her bruised face pouts at my scolding. "I'm just saying." She mutters, beckoning me over. And I gladly take the invitation. Crawling into her arms, well and truly trapped as she smothers me against her.
"My knight in shining armor." She whispers next to my ear and lays a kiss on my temple.
The comment brings tears to my eyes, my hands clutching at her tightly as if she's about to be pulled away.
Because she almost was…
It doesn't take long before her breaths become steady and rhythmic. A recognizable subtle snore vibrating against the top of my head where her chin is resting.
She was exhausted.
And so am I.
But even through all the fatigue I can't seem to go out that quickly. My eyes won't shut fully. So I just end up staring at the ceiling and counting the cracks between the boards.
I can still hear the [Guards] and mercenaries moving around outside. Having passive conversations that I can't make out.
A few more minutes pass by, and still no closer to shutting my eyes for longer than a millisecond.
I guess I should check my status at least.
After reciting the phrase, my window appears above the bed. Looming almost ominously.
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[[LEVEL-01]]
//Name: Liore Perro
//Age: 13
//Class: [Farmer]
//Status: Fatigued [Minor Lacerations] [Minor Concussion]
[[STATS]]
//Strength: 2
//Dexterity: 3
//Intelligence: 3
//Perception: 3
//Stamina: 3
//Resilience: 3
//Magic: 3
[[PASSIVE]]
[Primeval Awareness] -> [Ears]
[Slayers Aspect]
[Favored]
[Battle Theory] -> [Sword Theory]
[Threat Detection]
[Mana Sense] = [Weak]
[Mana Storage] = [Minor]
[Poison Resistance] = [Minor]
[[SKILLS]]
[??????-??????] = [Error]
[Leap Stride] + [Spring Kick]
[Shadow Cloak]
[[CLASS QUESTS]]
[Plant A Seed]
______________________________________
It feels like all the air has been sucked out of the room.
My lungs seem to stop working.
I just had to look, didn't I.
Why couldn't I just have waited until later?
My hand moves on instinct, slowly raising upward with my index finger outstretched.
Why can I never open my window and not feel my heart sink?
Why is there always—something.
The tip of my finger hits the new skill bracket. One that I've heard spoken of repeatedly now. So it sticks out like a sore thumb because it shouldn't be there.
I shouldn't have this.
And there is only one place I could have gotten it.
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[Shadow Cloak]: Power harvested from a [Bandit]. This skill consumes mana in its activation. This skill allows you to be difficult to perceive in low light and disappear completely in darkness. This effect carries over to all equipment worn or held. This effect lasts for as long as you have mana to spare. It can be switched on and off at will. But this skill does not effect the sounds you make or the tracks you leave behind.
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