Luna woke up in the early morning when Joan left their tent. The cold air worked wonders and Luna scrambled into her cold and damp gear. Even keeping everything with them in the tent had not spared them from cold clothes in the morning. At least the worst of the morning dew had stayed outside. They quickly broke up their camp to get moving.
A short while later the sun crept over the horizon and drove away the cold of the night. Breakfast was the last of the bread they had bought when leaving Middingfurt and meat jerky. They returned to the spot on the road where they had last seen tracks and started following them west into the forested hills. The next village was 7 days away if they followed the road and all the logging camps were located around that village, either set up north of it towards the mountains or south of it toward the hills.
Following the tracks in the forest was easy, as if whoever they were following had no care in the world. Joan thought it more likely that they were simply oblivious to the clear marks they left while passing through the area.
They followed the tracks all day, only stopping to refill their water skins and have lunch. In the evening they saw the first signs of actual people, a fire just barely visible through the trees, on the other side of the valley they had just reached. It wasn’t that far away by air, but going down into the valley and back up the other side would take them more time than they had before nightfall.
Luna reminded Joan that she had a skill that improved her vision in the dark and could scout ahead, but Joan turned her down. She would not let the inexperienced Luna go alone, with no way for her to find her if something went wrong. They carefully followed a small stream further down into the valley and made camp in a wind protected spot.
Joan layed out their plan for the night and next day. They would keep watch all night and break camp in the early morning hours. The twilight would hopefully keep them hidden when they crossed the valley. Joan was rather sure that nobody was keeping watch on the other side, but taking risks would be stupid. After crossing the open area in the valley they would go up the other side and circle around, find a good spot to hide their backpacks and then proceed with their normal gear to scout out who had camped there.
This night was even more miserable than the last. Luna had slept first and was keeping watch in the early morning hours, the shivers from being cold had at least prevented her from falling asleep.
They ate some rations on the final way down into the valley and then hastily crossed it, jumping the small stream in the middle. Making it up the other side of the valley took a while, but they did not hear any hint that they had been spotted, nor did they see any sign of people having gone through this part of the forest.
On the other side of the valley ridgeline the forest started to get sparse, transitioning into grassland covering the hilly terrain. Luna thought it quite a beautiful sight, ideal land for grazing sheep or goats. Joan was less pleased, while the open country would make it easy to spot the group of people, if they were to cross it, it would also make it a lot harder to stay unspotted.
They picked a spot with a good view and waited. By Luna’s estimate it took at least 2 hours, before a small group of people entered their vision. They had been waiting right at the edge of the grassland and the group passed barely 300 meter away from them, not even bothering to look around. They trudged on, following their apparent leader. While it was too far away to make out details or Identify them, they could clearly make out weapons and guessed that at least two of them were wearing some kind of chainmail armor, the sun reflecting off the metal.
Luna counted nine people in total, each of them, including the leader, carrying a heavy backpack. Going by their pace the burden had to be significant. Joan was relieved, as they would be able to outpace them easily, while still keeping a ridgeline between themselves and the group.
They followed them for the whole day, always keeping slightly behind the group. The land transformed further, small rock formations peeking out from under the grass at the hillsides. While the forest had receded fully, early in the day some trees were standing on the hill’s leeside, but now only bushes and brush were growing. The motley crew they were following was in no hurry, as they had kept the sedated pace for the full day and made camp early in a wind protected spot under a small cliff.
Luna and Joan hid themselves, waiting for night to fall before getting closer. They dropped their backpacks off and crept over the hillside. The cliff the camp was set up under worked in their favor. It was only a few meters high and they could get close enough to listen to the conversation around the small fire.
Luna was finally close enough to identify the group, finding out that they were between level 10 as the lowest and 37 as the highest. Luna wanted to peek over the ledge, but Joan pulled her down, slightly cuffing her on the head.
“Stay down. The fire light would light up your face clearly to anyone who happened to look up. Just lay still and listen.” Joan whispered to her.
Luna ducked her head and did as she was told. Without seeing who was talking it was hard to follow the conversation.
“I cannot wait to get into the base camp. I hated the fucking forest and I hate this place even more.”
“Oh shut up Steve. You have been whining about every little thing since we left. ‘Eww, I got water in my boots.’ ‘There are rocks under my blanket!’ ”
“Cut it. We had this discussion every single night. Just think ahead, we are only two days away from the base. We are the last group to arrive and then we can resume the great work we started last year. If you had been with us last year you would be rich.”
“Yeah yeah, we heard your stories of plunder and riches. Haven’t seen any of that yet have we? Only damn forests and carrying these heavy ass backpacks for six days.”
“Only one more night outside after this, then you can sleep in a warm bed. But one thing is for sure, this year we will grab some more people from villages. I am sick of cooking and cleaning. No more waylaying and only stealing stuff, this time we go big and take the people as well.”
“Where is this base of yours anyway? We are in the middle of the fuck knows where.”
“Easy. Straight east from here and at the edge of the forest. We got a neat little base only two days away from the next road to the north and three days to the south and nobody ever comes here. Their moron of a king has no idea how to find us.”
Joan tapped Luna on the shoulder, gesturing for her move back. They walked back over the hilltop and sat down. “Luna, this is important. If what they said is true, then this is the one and only base these groups are operating from. We always thought they were many small groups hiding around, but this seems to be much better organized than we anticipated. We stopped at Dreisen because I was hoping someone had seen signs of these groups around there, but now I am sure that this is the only base around here. Sadly he did not say how many more of them there were, only that they were the last group. It could be just a dozen, but it could also be many more, up to a hundred if I had to be very pessimistic.”
“What do you want to do?” Luna asked.
“We will wait for night to fall and then we will kill all of them, except the leader. I want him alive. He is exactly the type of person we have been trying to capture. He knows where the camp is and apparently recruited this group with tall tales of easy riches.”
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Luna swallowed hard. All the preparation, training and still she had expected to get away with not having to make this decision.
Joan could clearly see the conflict in Luna’s face. “I know this is no easy decision. But we have confirmed that these people have entered this kingdom with ill intent, they have willingly joined an organization that is here to rob, extort and hurt people. We are only two and we cannot take the whole group prisoner. I wish it was different, but you do not have a choice in this. I am ordering you.”
Luna nodded and went to check on her gear. Joan had taken the decision away and Luna knew that she had done it to help, but it felt like the easy way out. No, this was not a decision someone else could make for her. She had joined the Pathfinder Guild and as a member she had a duty to the people. She had been listening to the conversation, she knew what these people, no, what these criminals were planning.
“Drink enough water, eat some food and try to get your business done before we leave. We will watch the camp and wait for them to fall asleep. It would be very badly timed if you suddenly had the need to step out while perched on that cliff over the camp.” Joan advised Luna.
When Luna returned Joan had drawn a rough schematic of the camp on the ground. They were going to use the cliff, positioning themselves on the high ground roughly fifteen meters apart to have different angles and then start shooting on Joan’s command.
“I never asked Luna, but how long for your Silent Shot to be available again after using it?
“Roughly 2 minutes. Not very practical for this situation.”
Joan nodded. “True. You will start with a Silent Shot and then keep shooting until I tell you to stop. Understood?”
“Understood.” Luna replied tensely.
They left with only weapons and waterskin and dropped into their old position over the camp. The fire had noticeably shrunk and the conversation around the fire had stopped, only the occasional whispered conversation was audible, but too quiet to understand.
A loud “Shut up and sleep!” put an end to those as well, after which someone dropped a few new pieces of wood on the fire to keep the warmth up for longer.
After waiting for another 20 minutes Joan gestured for Luna to peek over the ledge with her. The camp was dimly illuminated by the fire and the people were sleeping under blankets around the fire, not even a single tent was pitched. As Joan had guessed nobody was keeping watch.
Pulling back Joan whispered to Luna. “You start on the left side, work your way down from the top. Leave the leader. Wait for my mark.”
They separated, Luna moving to the left and Joan to the right. When Joan rose up with her bow, Luna followed and notched an arrow with shaky, clammy hands. Her passive Skills activated and she could clearly see where to aim on the motionless targets to deal the most damage.
Joan’s mark came way too early for Luna. She activated both Silent Shot and Sneak Attack, took aim and let the arrow fly in one smooth motion. Her training took over after the first shot, human silhouettes and little red archery targets replacing the actual targets in her mind. Before her first arrow had hit its target, instantly killing the sleeping human, a second one was on the way, then a third, a fourth. Joan was shooting as well and the noise of the bows and arrows hitting soon mixed with surprised screams from the wounded or dying.
Suppressing a gag reflex Luna kept shooting, the surprised people in their camp being easy targets, until only one human form was still moving, an arrow sticking from one leg. Joan called for her to stop and Luna finally surrendered to the bile in her throat, emptying her stomach. When she was finally able to get herself under control Joan had already made her way down and was standing over the last survivor, the group leader.
Luna grabbed her waterskin, washing out her mouth to get rid of the taste. She slowly walked along the cliff and followed the path Joan had picked down to the camp. when she got closer she could hear Joan talking.
“No, you will turn around slowly. I have an arrow aimed at your head right now and if you make a single wrong move I will end you right here and now.”
“Alright, alright. Now don’t make a mistake here. I am a Pathfinder, simply helping these poor people to find their way before you slaughtered them in cold blood.”
The prone man shoved away the weapon he had been clutching and turned around, slowly sitting up. When he saw Joan, surprise was written on his face.
“Of course it is you. Of all the damn people it had to be hard-ass Joan.”
Luna identified the man and walked up next to Joan, carefully not looking into the direction of the dead people scattered around the fire.
[Jackson]
Level 37, Human
“If it isn’t Jackson. You little shit, we were wondering where you had disappeared to. How many others are involved in this?” Joan asked him.
Luna was still clutching her bow, clearly confused about what was going on. Apparently Joan and Jackson knew each other, the question was, how? Joan answered that question.
“Luna, let me introduce you to Jackson. Human filth and formerly of the Pathfinder Guild until he was kicked out for abusing his position. He is currently wanted as a criminal in all three kingdoms. Although it seems that one kingdom is not taking that too seriously. Now would you please knock an arrow and draw your bow Luna? Keep it aimed at him and if he so much as flinches, you shoot him straight in the chest. Understood?”
Luna nodded and did as she was told. Jackson seemed perfectly ordinary, athletic figure hidden under leather armor, short brown hair with a little grey at the temples, but his eyes were different, cold and calculating, studying her every move. Joan walked over to the camp and started kicking the bodies. After she was sure that there were no other survivors playing dead, she returned to their captive.
“Now, you have two options here. Option number one is to let us bind you up real good, tell us what you know and we will deliver you to the capital for judgement. Option number two is that you resist and I put an end to you right here and now. Chose.”
“Now aren’t you cute?” Jackson replied. “I don’t give a shit about what you want. The Pathfinder Guild is a farce, what is the point of being powerful if you are never allowed to use it? The pathetic people with Crafting classes enjoy their safety and we are looked down upon, working in obscurity. Did you know I was in places where most people didn’t even know what the Pathfinder Guild does?”
“Now that was not very clever.” Joan told him. “You see, Luna is from such a place. Last chance or I will tell her to shoot you.”
Jackson just started laughing in their faces. “You would not shoot me in cold blood. You were always a stickler for rules. A fine pair you two make. The idealistic bitch and her still green behind the ears trainee. I cannot believe it was you who found us. How long have you been following us?”
Joan shook her head and stepped next to Luna, whispering in her ear. “I do not believe we can get him to talk and I am not sure you want to be around when I try to make him.”
“I can hear you bitch.” Jackson interrupted her. He suddenly sprang up from his sitting position, his hand grabbing something from behind his back.
Luna did exactly what Joan had told her. She shot him straight in the chest, from barely 3 meters away. The arrow, guided by her passive skill pointing out the weak point in his armor, punched straight through and penetrated all the way up to the fletching. He collapsed on his face, a throwing knife dropping from his hand.
“Shit.” Joan exclaimed. “That fucking idiot.”
Luna just stood there frozen, bow still in her hand. If she had just reacted a second slower there could be a knife sticking out of her throat right now. She doubted that he could prevail against Joan too, especially with his already wounded leg, but that would not matter to her then.
The shock of avoiding death rattled her, but it also pushed away her guilt over killing these people. Confronted with the very real threat of death she had reacted on instinct. Luna came back to herself when Joan touched her shoulder.
“You okay Luna?”
“I think so.” She replied. “I think I just understood what you have been trying to teach me for the last few weeks. There are people who are just rotten, deep down. He must have known that he could not take down both of us, but he still tried to kill me. Why? Out of spite? If that is what we are working against then I am glad they are dead. They would have just hurt more people. People who do not have the ability to defend themselves. Like my parents back in Creek Springs.”
Joan nodded and then took Luna by the hand and led her away from the camp. “Go back and wait for me. I will retrieve your arrows and look if I can find some more clues, but I highly doubt I’ll find anything. See if you can set up our tent, it won’t be long”.
Luna hesitated, then shook her head. “No. I have to see this through. No going back now.”