When comparing the inherent dangers of wandering alone with wandering as a group, it was generally considered that the latter would be the obvious safer choice. It was usually a boon to have an extra pair of helping hands when dealing with the dangers found in the wild, which could only be monsters. If faced with a monster, the extra manpower could provide either a higher chance of victory or something to abandon as bait. The lone traveler did not such options. However, it was only on paper that numbers equated to safety.

The truth of the matter was that quality usually trumped quantity. That was not to say that the amount of manpower fielded did not matter, it was just that when it came to traveling around the kingdom and facing monsters, the answer to the question of safety was usually more nuanced than the number of people in a group. In turn, it was honestly very irritating to see how much sense the group of soldiers lacked.

When Rana approached them, her lonesome self raised no alarm to the soldiers. It could be forgiven to mistake her for a lone refugee at first glance. She was thin and walked downtrodden steps, and her clothes were worn and unwashed. On the surface, she was clearly someone who has just survived and was now trying to escape the fires of war. However, if they were to look closer and pay more attention to the details, there was another story. Her clothes were dirty but not tattered, it could even be called well-maintained if one were to ignore the stains on it. She was also still walking and carried her belonging with ease.

There was no way someone escaping bloodshed had undamaged clothes. There was no way someone hopeless had the strength to carry their own body. If she were to witness such a person her own sense of caution would’ve been on full alert. The knowledge of monsters with a humanoid form was not that common, and assuming she was a zombie, even though she was, was a stretch. Yet to not take precaution against a marked one, or to not have such a thought? It was simply carelessness. The soldiers should’ve at least assumed the bare minimum of caution. However, that did not happen for the soldiers. They saw a weak helpless woman and did not fear her approach.

She signed internally. She was glad she did not need to do any further acting or convincing, but she somehow wished it wasn’t this easy. There was some value in gauging what the average level of a group was, but stupidity was not something easily judged for the whole as every group had them. She wanted a glimpse of the training and experience these soldiers had, but it seemed like it won’t be until sometime later to do so.

“Hey, come here lady,” one of the soldiers said as she approached them. “Don’t make us come out there to get you.”

The soldiers were wearing a very basic armor of plates and chains. The metals were full of scars, stains, and crudely restored dents. It was easy to tell that they had seen constant bloodshed but had no access to any of the supplies and resources available to conscripted soldiers. Their weapons were also dipped In the smell of blood, and they were dulled by the battering of bones instead of steel. They were either extremely efficient warriors on the battlefield or those who only inflicted violence on the weak. It was not hard to tell which one it was. She recognized their outfits. They were soldiers that belonged to the invading force against Aodh, and they were definitely deserters.

Rana eyed them suspiciously. Their callous attitude still had her cautious. There was no way they were that dense. However, it seemed like she was wrong. The soldiers were laughing and began to talk among themselves, each trying to take credit for the achievement of finding her. They were part of a force of deserters. They did not discuss much of why their group formed, but it seemed like they were standard plunderers. They killed, looted, and rounded up those displaced by war, those abandoned by their lords, and sold them to the highest bidders. The group before her were criminals that their captain deemed worthless and without achievement. They were the ones not meeting their quota. No wonder they threw caution to the wind when they realized they could hand something in. There was no doubt that their pay depended on the prizes they could find, and humans were the most valuable of them all.

“Where will you be taking me?” Rana asked. Her patience was waning. She wanted information, but it seemed like this group would not be one to provide worthwhile intel.

“Don’t worry, honey,” one of them said. He was the one in charge for their little group of rejects. His smile was disgusting, and it was even more so that it was obvious he thought he was hiding his ill intentions well. “We are soldiers that can protect you. We have a castle that you will be very comfortable in.”

That was interesting. Rana very much doubted the group of raiders managed to find an actual castle to garrison at. She did not deny the possibility of some being constructed during the time of her slumber, but her knowledge did not have information of such a castle near this area, as the closest one she knew of was at least a few days ride away. Judging by the supplies they had, it was not enough to travel such a distance. Not to mention Fort Claw was not something any lord would willingly give up to a bunch of marauders, let alone be threatened by a ragtag force of a measly hundred. There was little reason to believe they had the ability to take or hold a castle, but she could believe that whatever they garrisoned in was a man-made fort.

The question then became whether or not she would pretend to be captured and follow them in. No. That would be too suspicious. These idiots might not find it strange, but there was little reason to assume their leaders had the same low capacity for intelligence. A lone wanderer willingly taken as a prisoner was something to be wary of, and even ignoring the strangeness of such a thing, if she were to be searched and frisked, her cover would be revealed in an instant. It was much more preferable to find another way of entering their garrison if she needed to.

There was no reason to conceal her identity anymore.

Rana unwrapped the cloth covering her crescent staff and unleashed a wave of mana into the air. It would’ve been easier if they simply surrendered, but she did not depend on it.

The soldiers stood up in an instant, their instincts reacted to the sudden change in the air before their mind did. They were cowards and rejects, but they did survive the battlefield, and the horrors of war was ingrained into their very being. The idea of kill or be killed could only be honed through the trials of war and it did not care for the individuality of those involved. It was about survival, and even the lowliest of living things held onto self-preservation.

She would see how well they could match her.

The soldiers drew their weapons and jumped into action. They divided themselves into two groups of four and retreated back into the rock formations. They knew not to fight a marked one directly and had to use their surrounding and manpower advantage. They had to surprise her.

Rana was pleasantly surprised. Contrary to how they were acting, they knew how to battle and it would prove to be a worthwhile fight.

It was unfortunate that, just for being human, their locations were exposed. Rana stalked without haste or worry. She could hear every sweatdrop, every twitch of a nervous brow, and every beat of their restless heart that inched them towards recklessness. They should’ve just ran and used some of them to delay her while the others raced to their horses. They didn’t know of her level and skill, but it was a much better option than to stay and fight. She guessed it was because they had experience against a marked one, even going as far as killing one during the chaos of battle. It was impressive, but they did not realize she was far more dangerous than an average marked one hastily conscripted. She was glad she did not have to kill the horses and cut off their escape. She could make use of those animals.

One soldier yelled out and struck from where he was hiding. He was impatient and did not wait for his fellow companions. It was idiotic. What use was a pathetic ax against her mark empowered body? With a mark, even the decaying skin of an undead was difficult to wound and as hard armor. However, even if she could take the attack, there were no reasons she should. She stepped forward into the space between his raised arm and the arc in which he would swing his weapon. He staggered backward, his prepared attack had nowhere to go. She then pushed him with one arm and he fell to the floor.

She returned her sights to the other three. How convenient of them to be in melee range. She reversed her staff and slammed the blunt end against the raiders. She heard brains scrambled within their skulls and hearts explode between fractured ribs and punctured lungs. It only took a few seconds to take them down. The other four raiders, the second group in the further distance no doubt in charge of circling her from behind, instantly dropped their weapons and fled. They were afraid and fear clouded their minds. They did not even run for their horses. They simply wanted as much distance between the marked one and them as possible.

Rana was thankful.

She raised her staff and waited until they were far away. The smell should be tolerable from that distance. She commanded the crescent blade to burn and rain ember. Then, blades of ash were formed and launched towards the fleeing raiders. Without the protection of the mark and the empowerment of mana, the blades pierced their bodies and burned their internal organs.

Rana then faced the raiders on the floor, the one who gloated, and the one who was paralyzed by fear. She did not expect much, but it didn’t hurt to try. Regardless, his fate was sealed.

“I will ask you some questions, and I expect answers.”