Nathan had just sunk his new scalpel through the eye of another bandit when a scream erupted through the camp. “Intruder! We got an intruder in the camp!”

The sound was deafening, far louder than natural and along with it, Nathan felt an immediate surge of energy. His heart started beating wildly while adrenaline ran through his veins, the shock making him flinch. He wasn't the only one though, the two bandits still alive in the tent shooting wide awake.

Alarming Shout, that means all of the remaining bandits will be up in seconds. I hoped to have a little more time even after getting discovered.

One of the bandits instantly noticed Nathan standing over the corpse of his companion, understanding the situation in a moment. “He's here! In this tent!”

Nathan reclaimed the knife before dodging a frantic sword strike, leaving the tent as fast as possible. I need free space to make use of my skills.

The hilltop was still shrouded in darkness, the simmering bonfire casting flickering shadows as figures emerged from the tents, many carrying their lights.

The bandit who had first noted him, followed him out of the tent, forcing Nathan to narrowly duck under another attack. Turning around, Nathan executed a low kick, sweeping the man off his feet.

The next attacker was not far behind, throwing himself towards Nathan with a wordless shout. Nathan took a low stance, evading the first few blows before the man overextended himself.

Catching the bandit's fist, Nathan pulled him forward and landed a jab on his stomach. Using the moment of weakness, he threw the bandit over his shoulder into the bonfire, ignoring the blood-curdling screams that immediately erupted.

The swordsman had gotten back to his feet, but Nathan could see fear in his gaze, finally reaching for his spear and advancing aggressively, forcing the man back.

As more shouts sounded out from the surroundings, he quickly abandoned the fight and disappeared into the night, taking advantage of the darkness.

The bandits were unorganised for now, and Nathan planned to use the chaos.

Looking around, he found a solitary bandit, the woman wandering the outskirts of the camp. He moved fast, stabbing towards her back. The woman reacted at the last moment, stomping down and causing a wall of stone to spring up from the ground.

His spear impacted the wall, penetrating it but losing much of its strength in the process. Nathan let go of the weapon, vaulting over the wall as his scalpel fell into his hand.

The woman had just turned around as Nathan came back down, his knees hitting her face and throwing her to the ground. He landed in a crouch, stabbing out multiple times in quick succession as she fell.

Blood started spraying from her wounds while Nathan turned around, ignoring her weak attempts at getting up. Gritting his teeth, he reclaimed his spear, sadly gazing at the chipped edge.

Nonetheless, he vanished from the spot, determined to finish the job before the night was over. In the moments his fight had taken however, his adversaries had organized, small teams of bandits systematically searching for him.

One pair was coming nearer and he took immediate action as he dashed towards them. One of the men saw him coming, shoving his compatriot out of the way and raising his shield, a large slab of wood and metal.

Taking a secure stance and straining his enormous muscles, he blocked the spear. Nathan had expected to push the bandit backwards, but he stood rooted to the spot, causing Nathan to stumble awkwardly.

Human – Bulwark [7]

Before he could make another move, Nathan was suddenly hit by an intense bout of dizziness, letting go of his weapon as the world around him started to shake. He used his hands to balance himself, his thoughts too slow to react as the Bulwark's shield hit his body.

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

Nathan was lifted off the ground and thrown backwards, hearing the sound of his ribs breaking.

The sudden impact cleared his mind, however, allowing him to Identify the second bandit.

Human – Mind Muddler [6]

He's a psychic, by far the greatest threat until now. Processing that information, Nathan immediately threw his scalpel, the movement quick and precise, before rolling out of the way of the Bulwark's next attack. The shield hit the ground heavily, the impact shaking Nathan despite him being out of the strike's direct range.

A bloody smile grazed his lips, however, as he heard the psychic's scream. That will bleed him dry in minutes at most.

Despite being unarmed, Nathan was unperturbed. He sprung upward in one smooth movement, ignoring his aching body.

Moving toward the bulwark with graceful steps, he dodged around the man's shield, ignoring the bandit's attempt to hold him off. His every movement was incredibly smooth, giving the impression of flowing water as he rained strikes and kicks down on the man.

Nathan attacked from all angles, disarming him in seconds and kicking the shield far away, reclaiming his spear that was still stuck in it while it was flying through the air.

Not wasting any time, he killed the man quickly. Blood was running from Nathan's mouth and the dagger that had been stuck in his side for hours had finally dislodged itself, but a manic smile was on his face as he looked around for his next enemy.

That was when he made eye contact with a woman standing about a dozen metres away, her hands in the process of finishing a spell pattern. His reflexes saved him as he threw himself to the side, a cone of fire erupting from her and blasting the spot he had just stood on.

Hellfire. Burning marble and the stench of charred flesh. The disfigured corpses of his party members.

Shaking his head to clear both the unwelcome memory and the spots dancing around in his vision, Nathan caught sight of the woman once again. Letting out a strained shout, he threw his spear. The weapon flew through the air at incredible speed and he could see the bandit's eyes widening as it hit her, piercing her stomach before lifting her off her feet and finally burying itself deep in the ground.

The fire had caught the attention of more enemies though and Nathan could already hear them coming.

Turning around, he found the shield the Bulwark had wielded against him earlier. Picking it up, his muscles protested under the enormous weight, but adrenaline allowed Nathan to ignore the pain for now.

Hearing a whistling sound, he caught a bolt on the shield, the wood sizzling in the place it had been hit. Illuminated only by the flickering bonfire, a bloody grin on his face and surrounded by corpses, Nathan took a deep breath. It smells like home.

Death had come to visit the bandits that night, and Death was laughing.

----------------------------------------

The sun was rising over the horizon while Nathan was standing in the ruins of the camp. His body was a mess of bruises and bandaged wounds, as medicinal herbs and weak potions worked on keeping him alive. He had searched the whole camp for a potion of healing or something of similar quality, but if it had ever existed it had been destroyed in the fight.

Fires were spreading from tent to tent and corpses littered the ground. Groans and cries could be heard from the dying, while the stench of battle filled the air. So many of them fled at the end, he mused. I just hope the oath doesn't require me to hunt them down. At that point it would be better to just lose my hand.

Exhausted and weary, Nathan walked over to reclaim his spear, the weapon pierced through a bandit and stabbed deep into the ground. As he reached for the weapon, the woman suddenly moved, her hand grabbing his arm as she raised her head.

She was pale from blood loss and her grip was weak but determination burned in her eyes as she spoke. “Why?”

Nathan looked down to his wrist, where the tattoo from the blood oath was still engraved and the woman's gaze followed. “The lord paid me to get rid of bandits.”, he answered, his voice hoarse.

That answer led to the woman giving an unbelieving chuckle. “Bandits? We were freedom fighters, the only ones standing up for the people. The lord in his castle is mad!”, the last statement was shouted with vigour, the effort visibly draining the woman as she laid back down.

“I doubt you got all that jewellery and money from freedom fighting.”

“The people we got that from deserved worse than death, trust me on that. My father would still be alive if it weren't for them.”, the woman answered, her voice so weak that Nathan would not have heard it without his enhanced perception.

“You must have met the lord, you know that he is nothing but a danger to those around him. With someone like you by our side, we could have taken that tyrant down.”

By the end she was barely audible, her voice getting weaker as she spoke. Nathan looked over the camp, his eyes taking on a faraway look as they drifted over the devastation. For a moment he was silent, lost in memory.

“In another life, I might have stood with you.”

Smoke rose into the air as the last cries fell silent. Crows were already gathering from the surroundings, eying the feast that had become of the camp.

“But in this life, you were in my way.”

Looking back down, the woman was dead and the tattoo of the blood oath had vanished from his wrist.

Congratulations, Nathan Andrews

You have levelled up

Your Spearman Class has reached level 10

You can now select a new class skill