William considered his plan of levelling going forward. He would need to explore new places and fight many new foes to grow at the same pace he had enjoyed thus far. There was the potential of hunting Fell-kin as the title he had doubled that EXP which in theory would mean normal gains in EXP with the title would counteract the de buff he had received. The glaring issue with that was the reminder that he had ended the Fell-kin infestation in the region. He held a sliver of hope that another would appear so he could farm it. William wasn’t going to be that lucky, he doubted.

William shifted his thoughts away from the issue for the moment as he still had some insights to mentally process from the fight, particularly his new Form of the Rainstorm. He took Sharpie in hand and held the blade as if it were a rapier. This would be a tough feat for most going by Earth standards as the blade he held was significantly heavier than a rapier. This mattered little with his current Strength, and he could imagine some big fucker somewhere dual wielding great-swords with a stupidly high Strength stat.

The thought made him smile. They would be a very interesting individual. Returning his attention to his sword-form, William closed his eyes and started the kata. Every step synchronized with a thrust or set up an angle for another thrust. He reached the point of the kata where he repeatedly stabbed the same area like a needle on a sewing machine. He could see it then, every thrust a drop of rain in a storm of steel. Each thrust was part of the same assault as each drop of rain was part of the tempest. He repeated the kata for another hour in that bowl, ignoring the smell of decay and rot coming from the dead Alpha behind him.

He was brought out of his practice by a familiar feminine voice, “The fuck is that?!” Jane said, as William’s eyes opened, shocked at the sudden outburst as his eyes locked onto her. She was visibly shocked.

“Um, a sword-form?” He replied, thinking that was what Jane meant.

A thought swiftly disproven as she pointed to the dead Alpha, “No, obviously you are practicing swordplay, I mean that big fucker on the ground behind you.”

“Ah, yeah...Boy do I have a story for you,” William replied with some pride present in his voice and plastered on his face.

He proceeded to retell the event and his prompts, adding more incredulity to her expression with each new part.

“Another title, two more skills, more stats. Fucking hell William, do you wanna leave us in the dust?” Jane simply added, still digesting his tale.

“No, I want strength to keep all of you safe. I would prefer to have everyone be as levelled as myself, but that ain't happening for a while I doubt, though the bandit assault will probably be a juicy EXP farm,” William said, enthusiasm evident at the end of his words.

Jane frowned at it however, and he felt like he had said something wrong, but what?

“People, even bandits have lives. They have to be valued more than the sum of their EXP,” Jane replied, more subdued than before.

“Oh. I get it,” William realized he probably came off as if he devalued the lives of the bandits as living humans. Trash mobs were trash mobs though, so what was the issue with thinking that way? He had a revelation suddenly weigh down upon him. When had he stopped valuing the lives of those he killed? He went cold just thinking about his mental shift. How long would it be before he was a machine of slaughter for the sake of EXP? Was it a forbidden and taboo thought to have in GAEA within local customs? Would he become an enemy to all if that disregard became public knowledge? Their were too many variables to think about and his hands went clammy from the constant mixture of mental images clouding his mind.

William dismissed Sharpie as he couldn’t focus on the practice with his current mindset. He noticed that Jane was staring blankly at him, reminding William that he never actually replied to her statement. Oops.

“No, you’re right, It’s this world. I think the constant battle is making me more a walking avatar of death than a human being. Let’s be honest, nearly all of the human killing has been done by my own hands. My brain probably shuts out the guilt and horrors I’ve caused my eyes to witness, so I can keep going forward, or maybe it’s just high Wisdom?”

She looked at him thoughtfully then, a small hint of relief present, indicating that she at least didn’t think of him as a heartless killing machine.

William then asked the glaringly obvious question, “Why are you here alone? Did you follow me? It’s dangerous in these woods and you aren’t a fighter. No offence,” He said, concern welling up within his core.

“I didn’t come alone, John and Stacey are waiting nearby keeping watch. I wanted to talk to you about something that might be important.”

“Oh dear, No Wallace here either, so I’m guessing it’s a big matter?”

“Yeaah. So, Walter and his parents have been captured by the bandits.”

“WHAT?!”

William had not expected that and he said, “But how? They waste their time inside Greenwell every day. Did the assault begin early?!”

He was readying himself for the final battle, getting to his feet and summoning Sharpie once more.

Jane stood quickly gesturing with her hands to slow down as she replied, “No, Greenwell is safe. They offered to help with the logging for a change of scenery, but were captured on the way by a small group of bandits. We only know because one of the loggers found one of the Duncan’s packs with a note inside laying beside the trail between Greenwell and the woodland.”

William was about to ask about the contents when he was halted by Jane pulling out the note and offering it to him. He took the note and inspected the contents:

To the prey,

We have your friends, your comrades. Bring your leader and this “William” to us in two days on the eastern edge of the Sylvar Woodlands. That’s the one you’re chopping down by the way. Two lives to save these three. We are nothing if not generous to those who do as we say.

If we get no answer to our request by the third day, we will return the prisoners to you in pieces.

We await your response.

Short and...sweet? He didn’t mind, the content was clear and easy to understand. Now, was it worth it to save them.

“We could just leave them. It’s not like they contribute much to Greenwell anyway,” he said, probing Jane’s body language.

He saw a shift to displeasure as she frowned and replied, “You’re better than that William.”

“I guess I have to help them. Such a waste of time.” He pondered, making sure not to speak the words. Jane still held most of her humanity it seemed, and the lack of blood on her hands solidified that. Upsetting her would do no good.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“Fine, I’m not waiting two days though, I’m going now,” William said, determination empowering his shift toward action.

His determination to get this shit done so he can focus on things that mattered was palpable in his new aura. He had noticed immediately the new energy around himself, but received no prompt. He just assumed it was a given of the world.

“Now?! But the note. Th-” Jane tried to say but was interrupted by a stern faced William.

“The note doesn’t matter. If the bandits captured them so easily, I doubt they are strong enough to have targeted any of the more competent people. The note doesn’t matter because they will all be dead shortly,” William said coldly.

He watched Jane recoil slightly at his demeanor, or was it his aura? William felt it flare as he spoke, indicating that he needed much more control over it. Jane didn’t reply, but gave a subdued nod.

He turned from her and started walking towards his new hunting ground. His higher wisdom did allow him to hear Jane mumble, “Please don’t lose yourself. I can’t lose my brother again.”

He could tell from his perception of the words that she was speaking them to herself, clearly wishing them to hold true. He wouldn’t lose his identity, just more of his humanity. That was a price he would willingly pay for those he wished to protect, and apparently even those he didn’t want to protect. The new task would be a good practice of his new abilities and to see how the change to EXP gains would affect him. You had to love the silver linings.

He reached the top of the bowl and turned back around briefly as he shouted, “follow me to the spot ten minutes or so after I leave here.”

He didn’t bother to wait for an agreement. The sooner this was over, the better.

It was only twenty or so minutes until he reached the treeline near his destination. He crouched low, obscuring himself behind a fallen log, and stuck his head out to assess the situation. He could see the Duncans huddled together looking forlorn and solemn, giving no indication that they hoped for rescue. He was almost tempted to watch for a bit, but that would waste more time. Two guards stood beside the Duncans, dressed in the typical bandit garb he had seen on so many occasions now. Ahead of the prisoners, five more sat by a fire, chatting amongst themselves. The area around them was barren of all but lush grass leading to the treeline that ensconced William.

He couldn’t identify them from the distance that was about forty or so meters away, but the gear they had said a lot. Three Archers, a Medic, a Fighter with sword and board, and the two guarding bandits were wielding spears, so probably Fighters too. He had a feeling that the shield bearer was the de facto leader of the rabble. All that meant was that he had to kill the guy first, then the medic. The rest would be easy pickings. He had to get closer to use [Flash stride].

William tip toed forward, seeing that the treeline wouldn’t cover him fully, and would still leave him a couple meters shy. He would need to dash to the point within range, then activate the ability. He would only have a fraction of a second to execute the maneuver before discovery, but fortunately, he had high Dexterity.

William wanted to test his new skill’s versatility and so he took his sword in a slashing position. The plan was simple: Teleport close, blade drawn back. On appearance, slash immediately to prevent any reactions, then don’t fuck up or die. It was a simple plan, but would cement his dominance during the slaughter.

He darted into motion, clearing the needed space in an instant as he activated [Flash Stride]. In less than the blink of an eye, he was behind the shield bearer, Sharpie already arcing into the neck of William’s quarry. The cut was clean. Neck and body parted as if made of butter. William’s gaze locked on to the horrified bandit healer and with a lunge, Sharpie was buried deep into the skull of the medic. With the healer and seemingly most difficult combatant dealt with, the bandits scurried into motion reaching for their bows, the two guarding the prisoners locked their spears outward to face William. They held their ground, waiting for William to attempt the rescue.

William smiled with unbridled killing intent, conveying it into his aura. He decided to let the aura act as it wished, forsaking control of its activity for now. William hoped that it would distract or terrify his quarry. To his delight, two of the archers froze in abject horror, their arrows knocked, but string slack. William’s smile turned into delight as he descended upon the two men. They were no challenge. They couldn’t guard themselves with bows, and with two swift slashes, he unburdened the pair of their bow hands. Blood spewed forth and yelps of agony roared out, the crimson spray wetting William with warm lifeblood as he moved on to the third who had gained a few feet of distance as the archer loosed their arrow. William blocked with his shield, making sure that the bottom of it was used so that the arrow didn’t slip through one of the holes made by the Alpha’s horns.

William chuckled as he saw frustration rise on the archer’s face. He was in front of the archer in another moment, sword plunging into the stomach of the bandit, disembowelling him.

With all three archers neutralized, William coolly approached the remaining two.

“S-stay back...we’ll kill the prisoners if you don’t surrender,” The one on the left said, spear shaking from fear.

“As you wish,” William replied with a friendly smile.

He planted Sharpie blade first into the earth and dropped his shield, then held his hands up. The second fighter charged him in that moment, spear intent on piercing William like a skewer. William grinned wide, looking like an unhinged maniac as he titled his body slightly, letting the spear pass through him. The pain was harrowing, but nothing vital was hit, as planned. He could deal with that level of pain by now. The fighter grinned in evil delight, at least, until his grin was eclipsed by William’s own, oppressive one.

William spotted the original spear fighter lower their spear slightly, marking his opportunity. With a swift flourish, William hurled a Mythril Dagger using [Dagger Toss]. The dagger penetrated deep into the bandit’s neck, taking a chunk out of it as the tip bounced off of the neck vertebrae, sending the dagger off into the grass two feet away. The fighter clutched at his neck, dropping to his knees in gurgling agony.

The final bandit looked at his dying comrade, then back at William whose eyes pierced into the man. The bandit attempted to step back, but William grabbed his hand, keeping it connected to the spear as he pulled the spear deeper into himself, grabbing Sharpie and pointing it level with the bandit’s head.

William’s prey tried to beg, “Please, I don’t wanna die! Please! I be-”

He didn’t get any further as with one activation of Syphon, William’s blade pierced through the man’s left eye snuffing out the spark of life within him. William pulled the spear out from his torso as he felt Syphon begin to do its work. The dead bandit slumped to the ground, and William frowned when he noticed the healing was barely enough to seal the wound he had received. He felt that he might have overdone the theatrics a bit, but pained cries from the fire behind him brought him out from those thoughts. The injured bandits should have enough life force for him to fully heal, in theory. William approached the three archers on the ground in agony and with an executioner’s cool, activated Syphon three more times, once with each finishing blow. The third one tried to escape, seeing their two allies die in front of them, but William was significantly faster and the bandit only managed two steps before his life also came to an abrupt end.

William felt his wound fully heal and was elated at the result, pleased that his plan worked out. He turned back toward the last survivor, still grasping their neck on the ground. He stood over the man and with one swift, strong stomp, crushed the man’s head.

“Th-thank you, William,” Allan said, seeming both relieved at the rescue, and dissatisfied that it was William that did the rescuing. It could also be the sight of seeing another person get fucking curb stomped not five feet away.

William wiped his boot off on the clean part of his prey’s clothing, “Spare the gratitude, I only did this to get my sister off my back. Thank her instead. This rescue shite has taken nearly thirty minutes of my time and I have shit to do before the bandit assault. Jane should be here in a few minutes to help you,” William replied, not caring about what any of them had to say.

He did kick himself mentally, however, realizing that he could have kept one of them alive and get more info about the bandits’ plans. To his further annoyance, the EXP loss was significant. He felt a small pittance of EXP gained from the killing of seven bandits, a far cry from the last group he had killed. The EXP nerf would be problematic. He was in for an uphill struggle if the bandit leader was above level twenty, he surmised.

William decided to loot the bandits, blocking out the Duncans’ words, pretending they didn’t exist. He collected all the weapons into his Spatial Ring and smiled at the mental image of the extra dimensional space displaying a weapon rack with the various weapons affixed. He was also pleased to find a small sack of three HP potions on the shield bearer’s person. The only other noteworthy thing was the coin pouches. He tallied the total up to three gold and twenty six silver. He was starting to get a decent fund together at that point and smiled wide, excited for when he could visit another town with a market.

William didn’t bother lingering and left shortly after his looting. He re-entered the woodland and decided to explore the northern part, as he hadn’t really entered it proper up to this point.

“Maybe I’ll find something interesting while I’m there.” He stated to himself, getting excited at the prospect.