First thing on her list of priorities was to find a sword. Standard in her inventory was a measly spear, but she had greater ambitions. She had no idea how powerful the enemies would be, so she figured that a good sword was a wise choice. She knew that one of the quests had mentioned a blacksmith, but as she walked down the main street, it became obvious that the town was under siege.

Several men were fighting off bandits outside the tavern, while a few others defended the doors and windows of the building. It took some effort, but she finally managed to break free from the crowd and walk towards the tavern.

As she entered the tavern, she noticed a small group of people huddled around a table near the fire. Two men were standing over them, brandishing swords. One of them had a spiked chain wrapped around his hand, and the other held a short dagger. The leader of the bandits stood behind them, holding a mace.

"Shut up!" the bandit leader yelled at the three people. "We don't have time for your complaints. Now give us everything you have."

One of the victims spoke up. "Leave us alone. We haven't done anything wrong."

The masked man grinned. "Oh, you think you can hide from us? Don't make me laugh. Just put down the stuff in front of you, and maybe we won't hurt you."

The victim glared at the leader. "I'm not giving you anything!"

A loud crash startled everyone in the room as a chair fell over and the wooden table broke. The bandit leader stared at the broken pieces of furniture for a moment before turning to glare at the bandit with the spiked chain.

“Let me handle this.” the bandit leader snarled, “Stay out of it.”

The bandit with the spiked chain nodded and stepped back. The leader jumped down from the table and approached the victim. The bandit with the chain wrapped his hands around the man's throat and lifted him off his feet. The victim struggled weakly, trying to push the bandit away, but he lacked the strength to win the fight.

"Give us the money," the leader growled. "Or else."

The victim tried to speak, but all that came out was a pathetic croak.

The leader raised his hand above his head. "Silence, or I'll cut your tongue out."

Lily gulped as she watched the bandit leader lift his hand. She couldn't sit idly by and watch this happen. Not when she could help. Even if she failed, she would at least die knowing that she tried.

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Before the leader could strike the blow, however, a voice spoke up. "Stop!"

The owner of the tavern had come out from behind the counter and blocked the bandit's path. His eyes were wide and wild, and he trembled as he struggled to hold back the rage boiling up inside him.

The leader scoffed. "Why should we listen to you? You're just a common shopkeeper."

"My name is Thaddeus," the barkeep said. "Now stop this madness before I ban you permanently."

The bandit leader stared at the tavern owner for a moment before lowering his weapon. The other bandit dropped his chain and dagger, and followed suit. They took a step back and looked at each other.

"Fine," the bandit leader muttered. "But if anyone attacks us again, we'll kill them. I promise."

The tavern owner nodded and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Good. Now get out of my sight!"

All of the bandits quickly left, and Lily breathed a sigh of relief. After they cleared out, she walked over to the tavern owner. He was still standing in the doorway, glaring at the bandit leader.

Lily looked around the tavern. It was a quaint little place; there were several tables with chairs around them, along with stools at the counter. Several barrels lined the walls, and most of the space was taken up by shelves that displayed various foodstuffs and drinks. A large fireplace sat on one wall, and a hearth was built into the floor. Above it were several pots and pans hanging on hooks. The ceiling was high and made of wood, and there were several holes where beams crossed.

"Thank you for stopping him," Lily said. "Do you know why he was so angry?"

Thaddeus sighed. "They've been raiding our village for months now. I mean, it's not like we didn't warn them. Every time we see one of these groups coming, we send someone to alert the guards. And every time they ignore us."

She frowned. "So the guards just ignored the warning?"

"Of course they did," Thaddeus said. "Nobody ever listens to us anyway. And obviously nobody listened to the guards, because those bandits just keep coming back."

"How many times have they raided your village?" Lily asked.

He scowled at her. "More often than you'd think. Maybe twice a month. Sometimes they hit us hard, and sometimes it's just a few sacks of grain. But eventually the supplies run out, and then they move on to the next village. Our people are starving! And all that the guards do is take bribes from the bandits, and ignore us. I wish someone would take care of this problem!”

Quest Alert: Bandit Eradication

The city of Samsiel is overrun with bandits. Eliminate this threat, and you will be rewarded with 200 XP and a bonus Attribute allocation. Do you wish to accept this quest?

Yes | No

Lily selected “Yes” and nodded to the barkeep "Okay. I understand."

"What?" Thaddeus asked. "Are you going to help us?"

"Yes," she said. "I will try, but I only have one extremely limited weapon right now."

"You're kidding me!" the tavern owner exclaimed. "Even if you don't have any skills yet, you can still help. Look, I know I’ve got an old sword in the back. I'll give it to you if you want it."

"Thanks! Yes, I would." Lily said.

"And if you can't use it, I'll teach you how."

Lily nodded. "Deal. But you shouldn't worry about me not being able to use it. I'm pretty handy with a sword."

Thaddeus laughed. "Right. Fine. Let's go back to the kitchen. I'll show you where the sword is."

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