I walked through the woods heading roughly north. Occasionally I’d come across a group of monsters. All of them fell to my blades. Yielding me a bit of loot but not much as they were just low-level monsters and most of their items were inferior to the ones I already had. The experience points I got from them plus the bugbear allowed me to level up again as well.
I looked up at the sun. I had a couple hours of daylight left, so, I kept walking.
Half an hour later I stumbled upon a small village. There was a wooden palisade around it and standing guard at an opening in the palisade was an armoured knight.
“Halt!” said the knight as I approached him. “None may enter Laythia village without the express permission of his lordship, Lord Herkna.”
“I wish to enter,” I said mildly.
“Do you have permission?” asked the knight, hand on his sword.
“No, I do not,” I replied. “But if you will not step aside I will make you.”
“In that case this is inevitable,” said the knight as he drew his sword. “As much as I hate his lordship his word is law here.”
“You hate him?” I asked. “Then why do you follow his laws?”
“Because he killed my brother and threatens to kill me,” said the knight through gritted teeth as he lowered his visor.
“In that case,” I said too quietly to hear. “I shall free this village from his rule.”
The knight charged me. Swinging his sword as he approached. I sidestepped and spun at the last second and rapped my knuckle against the back of his helmet as he went by me. “You’ll have to do better than that.”
The knight stopped and turned. I drew my swordstaff off my back and held it loosely by my side. The knight looked at my weapon then looked at me.
“What is that?” he asked.
“Just a weapon,” I said as I raised it and charged.
The knight barely had time to raise his shield before I had reached him and was hammering at him with my blades. I spun, leapt, and dodged his blows, always having a blade in place to block his or battering against his shield. I jumped back and smiled. I had him now.
The knight pressed the back of his shield and I heard a slight hum. Now I definitely had him.
I leapt towards the knight. Swinging the blade on my right-hand side so that both blades were parallel to the horizon. The knight blocked with his shield and just as I’d expected my blade stuck fast to the shield.
“Surrender,” said the knight. “Your weapon is out of play and in the time it’d take you to draw another one I’d kill you.”
“Maybe,” I said as I gave my wrists a quick twist. Popping my weapon into its two halves and swinging the left blade past his shield until the blade was against his throat. Right in a chink of his armor.
“I surrender,” swallowed the knight as he dropped his sword and shield.
I lowered my blades and reconnected them. The knight pulled his helmet off and rubbed his throat. “Who are you?” he asked.
“Just a blade for hire,” I said. “I’m a Bloodspiller Assassin class, but I’m probably closer to an adventurer class because I don’t spend a lot of time doing killing contracts.”
“Could you take one on?” asked the knight, looking at me keenly.
“Depends on the job,” I replied casually.
“I want you to avenge my brother,” said the knight. “I want you to kill Master Herkna.”
“Where is he?” I asked.
“Right now, probably in the city hall basement,” said the knight. “Which he’s converted into a torture room.”
I nodded and sprung my hidden blade. I held it in front of my face. “Today is the last day he tortures someone in this village.”
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