I was awoken by the sounds of a scream coming from outside the inn, I groggily opened my eyes and sat up in bed, my heart racing from the sudden intrusion. Shadow was still sleeping on my chest, undisturbed.

I listened closely, trying to make out what was happening outside. The screaming stopped, replaced by the sound of footsteps and panicked voices. I got out of bed and stealthily made my way over to the window. I slowly pushed the curtain aside, trying to see what was going on outside.

I looked outside and noticed a group of men pointing swords at some of the townspeople. My eyes widened in horror as I saw a group of armed men, about six in total, holding swords and knives, menacing the townsfolk.

I could hear them demanding they hand over all their valuables and one of them had grabbed an elderly man by the collar and was shaking him. I quickly left my room, Shadow following closely at my heels. I bolted down the stairs and burst through the front door, onto the street.

Outside, the scene was chaotic. The men were shouting and brandishing their weapons, while the townsfolk were cowering in fear. They all wore the same dark green leather jackets, with loose beige pants, and black boots.

I saw one of the men, seemingly the leader based on how the others were standing around him, standing in the center of the group, a sadistic grin on his face. He had a long, jagged dagger in one hand, and he was currently holding the point of it against a young woman's throat.

"Shadow, I need you to take care of the others, I'll take care of the leader, wait for my signal." I walked towards the group as Shadow ran off to the shadow of a nearby building, Shadow nodded and quietly disappeared into the shadows, blending seamlessly in with the darkness.

I steeled myself, taking a deep breath. I looked around, all the townsfolk's eyes on me, fearful and pleading that I would help them.

"Hey!" I called out to the leader as I got close to the group

The leader turned towards me, his eyes narrowing as he took me in. "And who the hell might you be?" he said, a sneer on his face.

"Not important, what are you doing here?" I yell at him as I look around for a water source

The leader chuckled, twirling his dagger in his hand. "What does it look like? We're taking what's owed to us."

I noticed a nearby trough filled with water, sitting by the blacksmith. The leader continued to ramble on about how he and his men deserved all the wealth they were going to steal. I turned him out, focusing instead on the water trough. With a flick of my wrist, the water began to swirl in the trough.

"NOW!" I yell out to shadow to attack the other men as I twist my upper body and throw my hand and arm in a wide arc causing the water to hit the leader in the chest hard enough to rip through his jacket. The leader stumbled back, disoriented by the sudden blast of water. He cried out in pain as his jacket was torn.

Meanwhile, I could hear the sound of panic from the other men as Shadow emerged from the shadows, attacking them with surprising speed and ferocity from his claws.

Before the leader could respond I used the rest of the water in the trough to hit his leg. The leader let out a howl of pain as the remaining water from the trough slammed into his leg, knocking him off his feet and cutting his pants. He landed hard on his back, his dagger clattering to the ground.

Shadow, noticing the dagger, picked it up and used it to kill the last bandit leaving the bleeding leader on the ground. The leader lay on the ground, wheezing and groaning in pain. His men lay around him, dead or incapacitated. The townsfolk watched on, their eyes wide with a mix of fear and relief.

I walk towards the leader and smirk at him "Where did you come from?"

The leader looked up at me, hatred burning in his eyes. "Does it matter? We're here now and there's nothing you can do about it!" He tried to stand up, but his injured leg gave out under him and he fell back to the ground with a grunt.

"Where is your base?" I put my foot on his chest and forced him back down.

The leader let out a gasp of pain as I pressed my foot against his chest, pinning him to the ground. "You think I'm going to tell you?" he spat, glaring at me defiantly.

"No." I say plainly "But I will let you leave if you tell me."

The leader's eyes widened in surprise, confusion etched on his face. "You...you'll let me go? Just like that?"

"Yep." I make sure to pop the p

The leader looked at me warily, as if expecting a trap. “All right, I'll tell you. Our base is on the outskirts of the town due north of here, past the forest. It's an abandoned town, you won't miss it." The leader slowly climbed to his feet, wincing in pain as he did so. He looked at me for a moment, a mixture of anger and gratitude in his eyes. "You'll regret this, maggot..." he said, before slowly limping off

I rolled my eyes and whistled, Shadow used his dagger to slice the leader's throat before he could leave "Damn, he was dumb."

The leader fell to the ground, his eyes wide in surprise as blood gurgled out of his throat. The townsfolk gasped in horror as they watched the event unfold. Shadow looked up at me with expectant eyes, the dagger gripped in his small paws.

"Good job buddy." I put Shadow on the head as I look at the dagger, its blade stained with drying blood. It was well made, with a handle of dark wood and a sharp, serrated edge.

Shadow let out a satisfied purr as I gave him a pet, the fur on his head smooth and soft.

The system came back and alerted me "SHADOW IS NOW LEVEL 2"

I glanced at the notification that appeared in my vision, surprised by the sudden leveling of Shadow. "Level 2, eh?" I muttered to myself, watching as the raccoon nuzzled against my leg.

The townsfolk were still huddling together, staring at me with a mix of awe and fear. The wolfman from the inn approached me, a look of astonishment on his face.

The wolfman scratched the back of his head, a hint of sheepishness in his voice. "That was...uh...quite a show back there. You took down those bandits like it was nothing!"

I shrugged, feeling a bit embarrassed by the attention. "It was nothing. Just doing what had to be done, y'know?" Internally I was screaming about how I had just killed a person and freaking out but on the outside I looked nonchalant.

The wolfman chuckled, clearly impressed. "Not many folks are willing to step up and do what you did. You're a hell of a fighter, I'll give you that."

"Thanks." I say as Shadow perks up and lets out a whine, I sigh and look down at him "And good job yourself buddy." I pet him again

Shadow let out a huff of what I could only assume was satisfaction, nuzzling against my hand for more scritches.

The wolfman chuckled again, clearly amused by the raccoon's antics.

"Well, I better get rid of those bandits, see ya." I turn and begin making north out of the town, but before that, I start to search the bodies.

The townsfolk nod and begin to disperse, going back to their homes and businesses.

As I searched the bodies of the dead bandits, I noticed that they were all armed with crude weapons. There are a few coins and some rusty armor on some of them, but nothing else of worth.

I put the coins and armor into my inventory as I stand up and keep walking north. With the loot collected, I start to head north out of the town. I could see the tall trees of the nearby forest looming in the distance, their shadows casting long, dark shapes on the ground.

Shadow, still by my side, walks alongside me, occasionally stopping to sniff at a rock or a bush. As we walk, I take in the scenery around me. The sound of birds chirping and insects buzzing in the air provides a relaxing background noise, and there is a sense of tranquility in the forest.

After what felt like hours, I finally reached a group of abandoned farmhouses. I stood at the edge of the abandoned farmhouses, looking at the dilapidated buildings in front of me. The old, weathered wood is covered in mold and lichen, and the windows are boarded up. There is a large, one-story structure in the middle of the lot, surrounded by smaller outbuildings. Even from here, I can tell the place has been abandoned for a long time.

I noticed a large group of bandits walking around the lot in the same jacket as the group from earlier, I ducked behind a nearby bush and peeked out at the group of bandits. Sure enough, they were all wearing the same ragged, green jackets. From here they looked like a motley crew, some wearing battered armor and others carrying rusty weapons.

"Wow, they are not armed well," I whisper to Shadow. Shadow, who was perched on my shoulder, gave a quiet huff in agreement. He looked just as unimpressed by the bandits' gear as I was.

I watched the bandits closely, studying their movements and behavior. They seemed carefree, laughing and joking amongst themselves as they patrolled the property.

"Shadow, use shadow step to hide until I give you a whistle." Shadow gave a low chitter in acknowledgment and suddenly disappeared into my shadow.

I looked around for a source of water. "God I hope when my waterbending levels up, I can start doing Hama shit."

I scanned the area, searching for any sign of water. The abandoned farmhouses had a well near the front, but it looked dry. However, I noticed a puddle of water near one of the outbuildings, probably from a rainstorm. It wasn't much, but it would have to do.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

I approached the puddle of water, my steps silent on the damp ground. Carefully, I positioned myself so I could use the water as part of my attack.

I flick my wrist and use the water to slash at the neck of 3 bandits at the back of the group. The water from the puddle shot out, slicing through the air and hitting the unsuspecting bandits in the neck. They collapsed instantly, dead before they even realized what had hit them.

The other bandits didn't have time to react, only hearing the sudden thump of their comrades' bodies hitting the ground. They all turned to look at their fallen companions, confusion and fear on their faces. Before they could yell out for the other bandits, I used the water to slice at the rest of the group silencing them, I whistled and let Shadow know to take out the rest of the bandits.

Shadow, who had been creeping through the shadows, perked up at the sound of the whistle. He growled understanding and began to stalk towards the remaining bandits, moving with surprising speed and silence. With Shadow taking care of the rest of the bandits, I turned my attention back to the large building in the center of the lot. It was clear that this was the main building, and likely where the boss would be hiding.

I approached the front door of the building cautiously. The wood was rotted and cracked with each step I took. I could hear the faint sound of voices coming from inside the building. I flattened myself against the wall next to the door, listening intently to the voices inside. It sounded like several people were speaking, most likely the other bandits.

"Hey, why are we still out here?" One of the bandits said to the boss

"Shut up, you dimwitted fool." a rough, gravelly voice replied. "We're here because the boss says so, and that's all you need to know. Now quit bugging me and go keep watch.”

"Yes, sir." the bandit replied, sounding cowed by the boss' tone. I could hear the sound of footsteps receding from the room. I took the opportunity while he was alone to quietly open the front door and sneak into the building.

The inside of the building was just as rundown as the outside. The floorboards were rotted and cracked with every step, and the wallpaper was peeling off the walls. Despite the rundown interior, it still looked like the place was inhabited, with furniture shoved in every corner and some dim torches providing light.

I moved silently through the building, making sure to keep my footsteps light. The voices that I heard earlier seemed to be coming from a room at the end of the hallway. I crept closer to the room, keeping to the shadows as much as possible. The voices were clearer now, and I could make out bits and pieces of the conversation that was going on inside.

"This place is a dump. Why are we still here?" one of the bandits was complaining, much to the chagrin of the other man who let out a low growl. "I told you already, this is our temporary base of operations. Once we have enough resources, we'll be moving to a more permanent location." the leader said, irritation clear in his voice.

I moved from the room to the upstairs so I could make sure to clear out the rest before I took on the leader. I quickly dart up the rickety stairs, avoiding any creaking boards. The upstairs of the building was just as dilapidated as the downstairs, with peeling wallpaper and a thin layer of dust on everything.

I silently move down the hallway, checking each room carefully as I pass. Most of the rooms are empty or filled with broken furniture, but I can hear faint whispers coming from the last room at the end of the hall. I push the door open slightly The door creaks open, revealing a dimly lit room. The walls are lined with dusty bookshelves, and a large desk sits in the center. Sitting behind the desk, his back to me is a large, burly man in a faded green jacket.

I could see that there were a few other bandits in the room as well, but I couldn't tell how many there were exactly. They were sitting on old, threadbare couches, smoking cigars and chatting amongst themselves. The burly man behind the desk was talking to one of the other bandits, his voice coming through the open door. "You lot better start pulling your weight around here. I'm tired of your slacking off and half-assed work."

"There is our Boss! come on man, you can take a small break!" one of the bandits yelled out.

The burly man turned to glare at the bandit who spoke up. "I don't need a break, you idiot. I need you lot to get off your asses and do something useful for a change. We're running low on supplies and money, and it's not going to just magically appear."

The bandit who spoke up cowered under the burly man's glare, looking sheepish. The other bandits in the room snickered and muttered amongst themselves, clearly amused by the scene unfolding. The burly man turned back to his desk, grumbling to himself. "Bloody useless lot, the lot of them. Can't do a damn thing right."

I took a deep breath and assessed the situation. I knew I couldn't take on all the bandits in the room at once, especially not with the burly man at the center. I took a moment to listen carefully, trying to gauge how many bandits there were in the room. Before I could move however I heard a scream from outside "HEY BANDITSS!"

I froze, listening intently to the commotion coming from outside. The bandits in the room also tensed up, clearly concerned by the sudden noise. "You bandits think you can just waltz into this town and cause trouble?" a deep, booming voice rang out. It was coming from outside, and it was getting closer to the building.

One bandit in the room yelled out "SHIT WE GOT AN ADVENTURERS! ABOUT 3 OF THEM!" The burly man behind the desk cursed and slammed his fist down. "Dammit. Just what we need, some wannabe heroes."

At the sound of my whistle, Shadow materialized next to me “ "Alright buddy, get in there." He let out a quiet chitter and padded over to the door, clearly excited to be given a task.

I watched as Shadow silently crept into the room, disappearing into the shadows. The bandits in the room remained unaware of his presence, their attention focused on the commotion outside. I kicked the door open and used some of my sweat to take out the closest two bandits. My sudden entrance startled the bandits, but it gave me the element of surprise. Two of the bandits were sitting too close to the door, and I was able to use my waterbending to cut through them before they even had time to react.

Shadow showed up and used his dagger to kill some of the bandits, 'this is going to be so cool' I thought as I ran, jumped over the desk, and tackled the leader out the window.

The burly man let out a gasp as I jumped over the desk and tackled him through the window. We both hit the ground with a thump, the air knocked out of his lungs as we landed in the dirt outside. 'OH MY GOD! That was so fucking cool I thought to myself as I stood up and brushed my clothes off."

I couldn't help but agree with myself, that was insanely cool. I took a moment to catch my breath, adrenaline still pumping in my veins from the fight. The leader was groaning in pain on the ground, holding his side where I had tackled him.

“Hey, who is that? I thought we were the only adventures that took this quest." A small timid voice said behind me, I turned around, surprised by the sudden voice.

Standing behind me was a small, wiry boy who looked to be no more than 15 years old. He had fired red hair and light green eyes. He had red hair and dark green eyes. He was holding a wooden staff and was wearing a tunic that was so faded it was difficult to tell what color it might have once been. The fabric was worn and frayed in multiple places, and it hung loosely on his frame, revealing a hint of a second layer beneath it. His trousers were equally tattered. On his feet were a pair of worn-out leather boots that had seen better days.

Standing next to him was a tall, muscular red-haired woman in heavy iron armor, holding a large ax. She had the same bright red hair but her eyes were light green. She gave me a nod of acknowledgment as she took in the scene around us. "Who are you?" I asked, still a bit taken aback by their sudden appearance. The boy spoke up again, his voice still timid but with a hint of excitement “I’m Cliff, and this is my sister Luzia.” He pointed to the woman next to him. “We’re adventurers, just like you.”

I looked at the two of them, a bit skeptical. They looked young and inexperienced, and I couldn’t help but wonder how they could be adventurers. But I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt for now. "The bandits said there were 3 of you, Where's the third?" I asked

"Right here." a voice behind me said. I turned around to see another person approaching from the forest. The woman was tall, with fiery red hair that cascaded down her back and emerald green eyes. She held a white steel staff in her hand and exuded an air of confidence and authority. Her flowing white robe billowed around her as she moved, giving her a mystical and ethereal appearance.

“Mother!” Cliff yelled as he ran towards the woman and hugged her “Where were you?”

The woman looked down at her son and smiled “ I was making sure all the bandits were taken care of and as it looks like they were. That was your doing?” she looked up at me

“Uhhh no ma’am.” I whistled and Shadow appeared from my Shadow. “ It was all this little guy, I only took out the ones in the house.”

Luzia who was at this point next to Cliff and his mother looked down at Shadow for a little bit before stars appeared in her eyes, she rushed to Shadow and picked him up “WHOS A GOOD BOY! YOU ARE! YES YOU ARE!” she was covering Shadow in pats, kisses and scratches behind his ears.

Cliff and his mother looked at her and chuckled “Forgive her, she loves furry animals.” Cliff said to me, I chuckled at that “I don't think Shadow cares.” Shadow was melting in her arms at all the affection.

“Well my name is Alex, that is my familiar Shadow, who are you, ma’am?” I introduced myself to the women

“Such a polite young man. My name is Liliana, this is Cliff my youngest and that is Luzia my oldest w-” she was cut off by a growl and groan

All of us looked back to the leader of the Daggertooths, he was on one knee “Hehe, nice shot kid.” he smiled before he stood up, his nails started growing slightly forming claws, he ripped his shirt off, revealing his chest that was covered in fur “I'm only allowed to use this once a day so feel lucky to see it!” he howled loudly as his body become bigger.

‘HE’S A WEREWOLF! OK CALM DOWN! Now is not the time to fanboy about some fantasy creature, he is GOING TO KILL YOU!’ I thought to myself as he transformed into a large blacked-furred werewolf.

I quickly flicked my wrist and used some of my sweat to swipe at his arm, it only pierced his flesh causing a shallow wound to show up. He growled and tried to swipe at me with my claws. I almost didn't dodge but Liliana used some spell to pull me away from him.

“Careful young one, he’s a former A rank adventurer and General,” Liliana called out to me

Cliff chanted a spell “ICICLES” A barrage of icicles shot out from his wooden staff, they did stagger the leader for a little bit but he quickly rushed the small boy, he was pushed off course by Luzia who slammed into him with her shoulder.

“DONT TOUCH MY BROTHER!” Luzia yelled out as she took her ax and swung at him, the ax hit his arm and caused a deep wound to show up on the werewolf's arm.

He growled out “ENOUGH! ACTIVATE SKILL IRON CLAWS!” his claws glowed a deep red, and then he swung at Luzia who blocked with her arm, the claw cut through her iron bracer like a hot knife through butter, Luzia yelled out in pain.

I whistled and Shadow jumped and slashed at the leader's arm with his dagger, the man let out a growl of pain and turned his attention to the small raccoon, this gave enough time for Cliff to cast the spell HEALING HANDS.

I turned to Liliana and told her “Can you use water magic?”

She looked at me and said “Of course, I know all 5 elements. Why do you ask?”

“I can only use my waterbending with an existing source of water,” I explained my skill as Cliff, Luzia, and Shadow took potshots at the bandit leader turned werewolf.

“mmph interesting skill but I will oblige your request.” She held up her staff and chanted “WATER BALL” from the tip of the staff forming a medium-sized ball of water

“Thank you!” I told Liliana, I reached out with my chi and pulled some of the water towards me, I moved my arms around me and created a thin water circle around my waist “Keep that water up!” I rushed the man and threw my arm in an arc causing the water to shoot out in an arrow-like pattern and cut the man's arm deep.

He let out a howl of pain and I called out to Cliff and Luzia “NOW!” Luzia swung her ax into his back as Cliff fired off another ICE SICLES spell into his chest.

The werewolf let out a loud sharp howl of pain as he started to bleed heavily, I took advantage of this and spun my body around and pushed my open palms towards him, the rest of my water ring shot out and hit him directly in the chest. He gasped loudly and spat out blood before he collapsed to the ground with a foaming mouth and rolled back his eyes.

I let out a loud sigh of relief as I looked at the system notification in front of me “WATERBENDING LEVEL 1 ---> 2” I looked at my screen

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LEVEL 2

+Moisture Drain

+Basic Bloodbending (requires the full moon)

+Ice

+Snow

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“Wow, that's a massive jump in power, I assume the next level up won't be as easy to get.” I thought to myself as I wiped some of the dirt from the fur of my coat.