Beorn's eyes followed the path it traced on its way to the fire, his hands took up his bow, nocked an arrow and drew it. In the split second before the smoke bomb exploded he contemplated the fact that he was ambushing these men. But then the sickening smell of burnt wood and death reminded him of what they'd done; these bandits were monsters in human skin and they deserved everything they had coming to them.

Which at this moment were five finely crafted arrows.

The effect of the smoke bomb was immediate. The orb exploded into a cloud of thick, choking smoke spreading outwards in a circle from the bonfire, covering the entire village center and causing instant mayhem. Beorn perked up his ears,

"AARGH! My eyes!!!"

All hesitation forgotten in the moment of action, Beorn's hands were as steady as a rock as he fired in the direction of the voice,

One

"Fuck what is going on!"

"Cough cough water..."

He nocked two more and released them in a single breath. Beorn heard the gasping death throes of his targets, and he fought to keep his hands steady.

Two and three, they deserve it.

He noticed a shadow near the fire with his sword out, Beorn took his second to last arrow and fired in its direction, the movement becoming smoother.

He was rewarded with the sickening sound of flesh burning and heart-rending screams of a man being burnt alive as the bandit stumbled into the fire; it made Beorn want to plug his ears.

Four

A roar rang out over the chaos, "Calm the fuck down you morons, it's only some coward with a bow. Find some cover and wait out the smoke."

Thank very much.

Wanting to make his last arrow count, Beorn fired it in the direction of the voice but only heard the sound of metal striking metal.

"Hah! Come out you coward and face me like a man."

Shit! His armor!

Beorn scowled, laid down his bow, and unsheathed his sword before stepping out of the ruined house.

The smoke was beginning to disperse so Beorn threw the remaining bomb into the fire, to maintain his advantage. Coughs and exclamations rang out from the bandits but their leader managed to calm them.

"Stay in place and stay silent. The archer can't see through the smoke either, wait for the others to come back."

That would be true if Beorn wasn't trained in the deepest parts of the Wolvenrych. He closed his eyes and concentrated on his other senses. The darkness brought clarity to his mind, granting him a new, different kind of awareness.

He stepped forwards letting the smoke envelop him silent as a ghost. The ranger could hear the heartbeats of the remaining six thundering in his ears.

Two to his right and four to his left. The bandit leader was the greater threat, he planned to take care of the duo on the left before facing him. He stepped towards intending to go around the blazing heat.

The two bandits huddled together, he could smell the sweat and fear through the smell of cooking flesh as he stalked the duo. When he was five paces away from the man, some instinct must have warned him of his impending death and he swung his sword through the air. Beorn heard the whistling rushing towards his head, his heartbeat accelerated, every muscle responded with years of training. He leaned back, the blade narrowly missing his nose, and thrust his sword into his heart. Stepping in close he kicked the body into his companion.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"Help! He's her—"

Beorn cut him with a downward thrust through the neck. He heard the gurgling of blood draining away the life of the bandit, he felt sick.

"Ray? RAY?! TYNE!!!," getting no response Baldy spat, "You son of a bitch! I'll gut you like a fish once this smoke blows over."

Shaking his head, he gripped his sword harder and continued with his grim task. He circled behind the remaining three. The ranger scuffed his boots on purpose causing the three to turn towards him.

He pointed his sword forward, impaling the first to make a move. He screamed in a moment of agony before death claimed him. Beorn continued his attack, refusing to give these scum a chance. He shouldered the corpse throwing it into the oncoming bandit. A string of curses from the man confirmed the collision, as Beorn pivoted on one foot, just in time to bring his sword down on the remaining companion, the blade knocking down his sword, he finished him off with a quick slash to the neck. Without stopping, he kicked his left leg into the stumbling bandit causing him to lose balance and fall to the ground. A quick thrust through the back ended his miserable life.

All the while their leader called out for his blood, unaware of the deaths of his group. Beorn spat out a breath before calling out, "Your men are dead, throw down your sword and surrender."

The leader paused before laughing out loud, "Hahaha, so you're just a brat. Good job killing the other but your tricks won't work on me. Come and I'll show you what the people felt when we rode into their nice village."

Wilhelmina warned Beorn, 'He's only riling you up. Stay calm.'

Breathing heavily, Beorn managed to calm himself before walking slowly towards his target, "Nice try, scum."

He tried to use the bandit's tactic against him, "Tell me who controls the wyvern and I'll grant you a painless death. I know a two-bit thug like you doesn't have the power, who gives you orders?"

The leader wasn't so easily provoked, he called back mockingly, "I'm more than enough to kill you, boy. You don't have to worry about the boss."

The smoke was thinning to the point that their silhouettes were barely visible through it. Beorn, eyes still closed stepped as quietly as possible until he was in range. He leaped, sword point first without warning aiming to end the duel in a single stroke.

Beorn was surprised when the leader managed to turn around and parry his thrust. The ranger managed to turn the jump into a roll to the side barely avoiding a downward slash. He crouched and retreated, opening his eyes a smidge to examine his opponent. The strength and speed of the bandit was comparable to his own, even after his recent increase. He wasn't just a normal bandit, he was a Blessed. The ranger regretted leaving behind his buckle, he forcibly relaxed his body and focused his mind; this wasn't going to be an easy fight.

The bandit leader didn't miss the chance to taunt him, "Stabbing a man in the back, like the coward you are. Did your father not teach how to act like a man?"

Beorn threw a knife in response, shutting up his opponent as be forced to dodge the deadly projectile. He sprang from his crouch and rushed at him, throwing the remaining four at him. The distraction proved useful as Beorn closed the gap with a swing into the man's side.

Brown light flashed at the point of impact, and the jarring nearly threw the blade from Beorn's grip. The bandit leader grinned and quickly slashed at Beorn's unprotected left. His heartbeat ramped up and the surge of adrenaline allowed him to shift his body slightly and take the blow on his shoulder.

His armor stopped the blade from slicing into him, but the crushing impact resulted in immense pain and his entire left arm going numb.

A grunt of pain escaped his lips as the force of the blow drove him to his knees. The bandit froze, surprised that Beorn had survived. The slight hesitation bought Beorn enough time to ram his shoulder into his stomach and throw him off-balance.

The two fell to the dirt in a tangle of limbs, Beorn's left arm was still unmovable, so he pinned his sword underneath his body and headbutted him. There was another flash of brown light and Beorn felt like his head had hit a rock. But he'd experienced worse and he maintained his pin.

The bandit struggled underneath him, trying to throw him off, but Beorn prevented him from getting any leverage.

"Let off and fight like a man," the kick that accompanied the shout nearly bucked him off from atop the bandit, causing Beorn to release his grip on his sword and clutch at the other's shoulders. He returned the favor by kneeling him in the groin and was rewarded with another surge of brown light and a painful knee.

Wilhelmina exclaimed in his mind, 'Beorn there's a shield of Earth essence surrounding him and it reacts on impacts. You need to wear him down.'

Beorn grunted in pain as the bastard bit his right hand, 'I'm trying.' He lifted his hand and smashed his head into the ground repeatedly until he released it. With it free, he managed to draw his dagger and started stabbing and slashing at the brown light.

"Geddof you cunt," the bandit struggled even harder at the sight of the dagger, but Beorn had managed to get his legs around his opponent's and straddle him.

The flashes of brown light grew weaker and the bandit struggled even harder, but Beorn felt his strength drain away bit by bit as he chipped away at the shield. Looked like maintaining the shield took a lot of stamina. It grew easier to keep him pinned and after what felt like an eternity, the blade pierced through the shield.

A raw cry of pain emerged from the bandit as Beorn plunged into his kidneys. He managed to cough out and cry out in a hoarse whisper, "Wait, wait. I'll tell you what you want to know. Please…"

Beorn did not want to give the slimy bastard the slightest chance, he cut him off with a thrust into his heart and spat, "No."