Chapter 30 - Darkvision

Riin's POV

Mine of the Stoney Mountains - Time, Early summer.

As I got energy back in my body I got outside in the lovely air with the sky and the sun and the chipping of the birds and the rustling of the leaves, ah, freedom.

Heca had died in the [Goblin] attack, but Galores group had taken care of the last attackers before I got back, but they had found Heca dead when they arrived at our campsite. Saved me from killing him myself, it seems blasphemy is a taboo here and eating a bear on two legs is against the teachings of the gods, or so I found out by listening to the men who came to our rescue down in The Underdark. They were very upset that the [Goblins] had eaten of the [Quaggoth] even stating that it was against the gods will, blasphemy, as for me I really don't get what the fuss is all about and I don't think I will anytime soon. And if they are yelling blasphemy over monsters eating monsters, than finding out that it was me that was eating the bear down there would properly make them freak out completely,so what they don't know won't hurt them, as they say.

With summer comes out return to the [Flinty Village] and our part of the mining work ends here Galores group will come back in a year's time to switch with the group coming in to change places with us. But we are less than when we left, two hunters is still missing and three guards dead and buried here, together with Heca. That has left us with twenty to return, out of the original twenty-six people who left.

As we pack up our things and get ready to leave, I get ready to start my own trip, I will travel with them out of the [Stoney Forest] and head east out towards the river, then head down to [Flood Village], where I will get my new supplies before heading to [The Lost Isle], let's hope all go as planned.

The day we were heading out had come and the new arrivals had just come in the gate, a few greetings were passed between the men and a update on what has happened is passed to the new captain of guard and the lead mine worker taking over form Galore. We set off with the sun rise and begin our journey home. After a few hour of riding, I came to think of the name of my horse… Blackie… Named so for its black coat, but now the name reminded me all too much of the time in The Underdark, so my brilliant self came up with a plan, renaming the horse. My problem in all this, is that I'm not really the best person to name things… So going along the lines of the other name and after a few hours of thinking out it I finally find a name I'm happy with, Coal,

And so our day long ride came to an end at sunset, just outside the forest's edge, where we set up camp for the night, tomorrow I would begin my travel alone. Night fell over the camp and the snores of the men resounded in the quiet night, I myself used the moon's light to check my bow and arrows, they had been left alone far too long, but according to Galore, no one had touched them while we were gone. The bow got a new string and the arrows was fine so I left them as they was. Galore has already been informed of my parting with the group and after a longer talk, agreed with my plan.

First day traveling alone.

First the out of the [Stoney Forest] and my seventy miles west begin with the sun painting the sky in the morning colors. If I can make sixteen miles á day I will be back home in around four days give it take, if all goes as planed that is. My farewells is said and done and I set off in a steady pace along the edge of the forest, which I will be following for the whole day. Galore gave me the skins of the [Quaggoth] and [Worg] that ‘died’ down there, as a parting gift. The looted weapons were used as backup weapons in the camp, should another raid happen, the more people with weapons the better chance of survival one have, on the plus side I did get two silver coins from the looting of the [Goblins], Galore think they might have gotten them of unlucky adventures that have gotten lost in the deep, since as far as he knew, none had been into The Underdark on the isles, but as he said The Underdark spans the whole world, so who know where they gained the silver.

My ride has been uneventful and as the sun starts to set I decide to not make camp and keep moving as my travel companion, - that being Coal, does not look like it's tried yet. With the help of my newly acquired skill, [Darkvision] I keep my even pace, as the sun starts to set. The night is quiet and only the sound of Coals even steps resound in the night.

As midnight approached, I decide to make camp, with the warm weather I do not need to make a fire, a lone tree makes a good stand in stable post and Coals saddle a pillow and my sleeping bag, a nice welcome bed, soon I'm fare of in my own little dreaming world.

Second day traveling alone.

The day passed uneventful, that is if you don't count the muscle cramps from riding and my ball tingling as they rubbed against the saddle. I had happily forgotten the awkward teen years where all your dick did was stand to attention, but as life would have it, I was once more forced to have a boner on at random times, like riding along the forest edge and just like that tada, boner.

Third day traveling alone.

No moon was lighting my way tonight as I rode along the last stretch of forest, so once more [Darkvision] proved to be a lifesaver. My trip was stopped by the sound of men singing and the weak light of campfires, from what Galore had told me, no one should be out this was, that was except bandits and other riffraff, and that was his words, not mine.

So not taking my chance I pulled Coal to a stop and tried him to the closest tree, grabbing my bow and arrows, I began to move closer to the campsite. As I moved closer and closer, I saw horses and good deal of armour, well as they say, if you can take it it's yours. So as any other responsible person, I decided to rid the world of the people in the way of my new and shiny items and animals, some people, so rude, I tell you.

Know thy enemy or something like that, was said by a smart person at some point in a fight, and for all intents he was right, if you know your enemy you can defeat them much easier then when you don't know them. Which makes total sense, so why the fuck he got so famous for it, I have no clue… But whatever, I started my little sneaky walk towards my soon to be new best friends for the rest of their short lives, not that they had a clue about what was coming their way.

I did a half circle a good thirty some feet away from the campsite, making sure to keep low and silent as I moved around to get a closer look at what I had to deal with. At my count there was six bandits at the campfire itself and one drunk by the horses, talking to himself or the horses, who knows with drunk people, right. There was also the high chance that their was others in the tents that was set up, which I had no chance of getting close too.

Plan, plan, what to do, kill the drunk and shoot them dead, hmm that would be a good song, not that I'm ever going to fucking sing that out loud, people might think that I had gone crazy and that would be no good at all, to much trouble to deal with an angry or scared mob.

But in all seriousness kill the drunk of first would be a easy task he is half passed out anyway and away from the rest of them. So here we go, I begin my stealth walk towards the horses and the drunk. Slowly, slowly moving closer, past one horse, letting my hand slide along its body, telling it were I'm the whole time. Past two more horses, I'm now behind the drunk, slowly drawing my knife, closer. He is mumbling to himself, drunk words that I don't understand, just before I raise my hand to plunge the knife into his throat, do I remember that horses freak out at the scent of blood. Fuck that was to close, slowly I undo my cloth belt and starts to wrap it around the blade, I'm kind of amazed that he has yet to notice me, drunktard. Finally done I flip the knife around and in a rather perfect move, if I must say so myself, I cover his mouth and ram the shaft of the knife into his temple, knocking him out cold. Then I slowly drag him away from the campsite, when I'm sure the horses will not freak out so much, I cover his mouth once more, you can never be too sure when doing stuff like this. In a quick move, I slit his throat open making him bleed out in seconds.

You have slain a drunk [Bandit] by doing so you have gained 25 experience! [Bloodlust Aura] range has increased to [98] feet.

Okay, they are [Bandits] for sure, glad I was right it would have been a mess if they were not.

Moving around so that I have a clear shot of the ones at the campfire, they sit there laughing and singing, not knowing that they are one less in their little group. Carefully I sneak closer and take aim at one of the [bandits], closer, slowly without making a sound I sneak closer and then I let go of the arrow, fast and very much deadly it flies into my targets skull. Quickly I aim and fire into the group of drunk and confused [bandits] who seems to take a moment before they know what's going on, shoot to kill and so I do, one more goes down with a well placed headshot. Tree down, I take my win and pull back into the darkness of the night. A state of panic and confusion quickly spreads between the now four remaining [bandits]. As I'm pulling back, one of the surviving ones bend down to take a look at his now dead friends, I act fast drawing an arrow and take aim, fire and it hit his chest clean through, he drops with the arrows flying back up as he hits face first into the ground.

They start to yell.

“Attack, we are under attack!”

“Boss!”

Oh, so there was more than the seven, good let them come out into the ‘light’. One of the tents ‘doors’ swings open and a rough looking man steps out, looks around for a quick moment before his eyes land on my handiwork, then he starts to yell as well.

“Get out here ya’ lazy idiots! Quit fucking the bitch!”

Bitch? There is a women here? Hmm, well now is this not just getting more and more interesting as we go. While they have been yelling and running around like headless chicken I have moved from my last spot, like hell I'm staying still so they can find me. I stay out of the campfires range of light, moving around the campsite. As I move one of the tents ‘doors’ open up and a stupid looking guys sticks his head out.

“Ya’ called boss?”

… I gotta give that boss some points for taking is so calm as the idiots, who apparently is an idiot looks at the man, he raise one eyebrow and sighs.

“Yes, you idiot, get dressed we are under attack!”

Oh, not so calm after all, hell that would have been heard miles away, the man in question looks at him and then nods, before ducking back in the tent. I can use this, I sneak closer and sit myself up for a nice shot as soon as they come out of that tent. The rest is running around getting their things together and yelling, so stupid with a shooter out there running around like idiots, with no form of real combat training, perfectic if you ask me. Soon the ‘door’ is once more opened and a new face is showing itself, dead was the idiot who met the arrow head on, I let go and soon he drops dead in the door opening and down he goes.

The next I hear is a female screaming, in the yelling I'm not able to figure out if it is a young women or and girl, but one thing's for sure the scream is not from an elderly person, here I'm without getting a women and they are fucking a young one! Man they are pissing me off, that's for sure.

“Coward! Come and fight!”

Huh… Is he stupid or what? Why the fuck would I walk into a camp full of enemies and try to fight them head on, idiots all of them, but I do not take kindly to being called a coward.

Activate [Bloodlust Aura]!

[Bloodlust Aura] activated, maximum range.

The effects of the [Bloodlust Aura] is shown immediately after as the remaining two of the bandits, that are the closest to me drop to the ground in a crying mess, leaving the three other ones standing with a look of utter confusion. The one standing next to the ‘boss’ moves to take a closer look at his friends, that is at the moment a crying mess that is their comrade and I take my shot, the arrow hit him clean in the chest and he drops to the ground in a scream of agony before silence falls over the encamp. Four [bandits] left, I take aim once more at one of the once lying on the ground crying for it all to stop, the arrow hits him the back and by the looks of how he is bending in a weird angle to try and pull it out it did not hit the shoulder blade,soon his cries stops and he draws his last breath. The two standing one looks on as their comrade dies, they turn and run into the night, fools. I shoot the last one lying crying on the ground and move to catch the two last ones.

Deactivate [Bloodlust Aura]!

[Bloodlust Aura] deactivated.

Now the true hunt begin, in the dark of the night the prey flees into the wild believing itself to be safe, but they are wrong, oh, so very wrong.

The last ‘normal’ [bandit] i find hiding by a tree not even twenty feet away from their campsite, cowering and crying like a little kid, oh, you poor little fool, I sneak beside him and draws my knife, a quick jab into his exposed neck and he drops dead, without even knowing what killed him. I leave his corpse there, for now i need to locate the last one, the so called ‘boss’, who was the first to turn tail and run for the hills. I continue forward into the forest, my prey is running, running scared around in the dark. A smile has been on my lips for a while now, as I hunt I feel the pure joy of their fear, I can almost smell it! For ten minutes I follow the heavy breathing ‘boss’ though the forest, as he running fearing for his life, it is pure joy I tell you! Ten minutes later and the ‘boss’ is resting against a tree, I take take aim and carefully shoot his thigh, he falls to the ground in a scream. I move closer, he tries to pull himself up with the help of the tree trunk, I shoot, hitting his arm, the arrows is now a good two inches buried in the tree. His screams of pure anger and agony mix into a beautiful song, I stand and admire my work awhile, the sun is rising, I better get moving. I close in on my last remaining prey, time to play before he die of bloodloss.

I move closer to him, firing an arrow into his other leg, he screams again, what a pretty voice.

“What a pretty voice you have there.”

He looks up at the sound of my voice.

“You?! You are one of the ones who attacked us!?”

“Ones? Hmm, I don't remember bringing other people into my hunt.”

He looks at me for a while, confused and lost for words.

“Impossible! How can one child kill ten men!?”

“Well, for one I much smarter than you, it's very simple if you think about it.”

I smile at my little helpless prey, drawing a new arrow, I'm not stupid, no way I'm going close to him as long as he life a hand. He looks at the bow and arrow and his eyes finally figure out what I'm about to do.

“Stop, kid! Stop this madness!”

I smile my sweetest smile at him and fire the arrow into his shoulder, he screams as it tear his flesh apart.

“Truly a beautiful voice.”

His eyes grow with unspoken horror as he finally seems to figure out that I'm not going to just kill him.

“I-I know things!”

“So do I”

I smile at him again as I draw a new arrow.

“I h-have lots of go--!”

His scream breaks what he was saying as I fire an arrow into his other shoulder, his breathing is getting more and more heavy.

“You gold and items will be mine, when you are dead, you know.”

“I-I…”

“hmm? You what?”

I fire one more into his other thigh, his screams no longer hold anger only pure argorny. I take aim to his head, since I don't have all day, his eyes grow big.

“I will serve you!”

“Oh? Will you now?”

“Yes!”

I smile at him, his eyes become so very hopeful, like a small kid who know nothing, how sad that his dreams will be crushed.

“What do I need a broken droll for?”

I let go of the arrow, his face hold a pure look of terror as it breaks his skull.

Show combat report.

You have slain a [Bandit] by doing so you have gained 25 experience! [Bloodlust Aura] range has increased to [99] feet.You have slain a [Bandit] by doing so you have gained 25 experience! [Bloodlust Aura] range has increased to [100] feet.

[Bloodlust Aura] range has increased to [100] feet, maximum range reached! Killing now collect [Blood Knowledge], Skill to use [Blood Knowledge] is locked.

You have slain a [Bandit] by doing so you have gained 25 experience! [Blood Knowledge] collected [1]. You have slain a [Bandit] by doing so you have gained 25 experience! [Blood Knowledge] collected [2]. You have slain a [Bandit] by doing so you have gained 25 experience! [Blood Knowledge] collected [3]. You have slain a [Bandit] affected by [Bloodlust Aura] by doing so you have gained 25 experience! [Blood Knowledge] collected [4].You have slain a [Bandit] affected by [Bloodlust Aura]by doing so you have gained 25 experience! [Blood Knowledge] collected [5]. You have slain a [Bandit] by doing so you have gained 25 experience! [Blood Knowledge] collected [6].You have tortured a [Bandit Captain] to dead, by doing so you have gained 450 experience! [Blood Knowledge] collected [7].