After having receiving a welcome from the Sir Malcolm, I was told to just head to the dorms. He personally gave me a brief tour of the most basic facilities.
The courtyard we were in, the training facilities, mess hall and armory.
On my way to the barracks, I pass by an officer, dressed in the same formal uniform as the guy who yelled at Sir Elios. It was a big beefy guy who looked like the stereotypical drill sergeant. All he needed are a pair of shades and a cigarette to complete the look.
"Oi! Rookie!"
"Yes!?" I turn around and salute the drill sergeant-like officer.
"Got a task for you!"
What!? Shouldn't I go through an orientation period or something!? Why am I suddenly being assigned a mission!? Is it because of the uniform I'm wearing?
But I feel like if I refuse and try to explain my situation, he'll make me do a thousand push-ups on the spot.
So, I gave a textbook response.
Better to earn some brownie points and leave a good impression on him than earn the ire of this hulking monster.
"Sir yes sir!"
"I like your attitude! Keep it up!" Guess I made the right decision, but his following words made me freeze for a moment, "Anyway! You're being dispatched to a barony to help deal with a bandit infestation!"
"Bandits!?"
The heck! I just got here and I'm asked to go kill bandits! At least let me do a few patrols before I go on such a serious assignment!
"Eh? What is it? Is the task to lowly for you?"
"Not at all! I'm just nervous!"
"Ha! You better be! Those buggers are apparently holed up in some forest. Got themselves entrenched deep within.
Regular guards can't deal with them on their home turf. So we're sending you to clean their arse!
Go to the armory to get fitted out! You're leaving right this instant!
The location is Hesh Barony!"
"Understood, sir!" I salute.
"Now go put down those low lives!"
"Quick question, sir."
The officer's face scrunches in annoyance, "What is it!? Was the mission not clear enough!?"
"How am I supposed to get to Hesh? I just arrived so I don't know the methods of transportation the Royal Guards use."
"Ask around the others for Old Man Yorgan, they'll tell you where he is. Once you find him, tell him Marvin sent you and that you need to get to Hesh! Get to it!"
I give a respectful salute and hurry off to the armory.
I deck myself out and leave the armory, proceeding to ask nearby Royal Guards about Yorgan.
One of the guards point me to a one story cottage sitting on the corner of the
Outside is a bearded old man in blue robes tending to some flowers
"Excuse me, are you Mr. Yorgan?"
The old man gets up from his gardening and turns around, "Yes, that would be me, who's asking?"
Facing me I see his visage clearly. Sharp and steely, likely the no-nonsense type. He exudes a pressure similar to Officer Marvin.
I give an involuntary gulp, "Officer Marvin told me you can help me get to Hesh."
The robed man sighs, "Of course he did, to him, instead of a Court Mage, I'm just some method of transportation. Whatever, I'll just do what I'm paid to do."
There are so many things I want to say and ask at this moment, but before I can, a shining magic circle appears beneath my feet and whisks me away.
Next thing I know, I'm in a small town, which I can only presume is Hesh.
Upon arriving, I ask directions for the lord's estate to go meet Baron Hesh.
Getting an audience was easy, I simply showed the guards and staff my Royal Guard badge, courtesy of Sir Malcolm, and they let me in fairly quickly.
A butler led me to his office where his master was tending to some paperwork.
Upon entering the offask the Baron, a plump fifty-something, balding man going to seed, for additional info on the bandit situation. He gives me a map of the fief and its surroundings, he points to a forest east of here and tells me that's where the bandits are.
Before I leave, I surveyed the fief and inquired some of the inhabitants to make sure the info I received is legitimate.
Without further delay I rush to the forest the bandits were camping in.
Unlike what most people envision, unless its on an open battlefield, public event, or in the capital. Royal Knights don't ever wear gaudy plate armor during missions.
On the field, Royal Knights would dress and prepare according to the environment.
Right now I'm dressed in standard scout gear.
Light leather over a green-brown uniform designed specifically for forested terrains.
A sword and several throwing knives.
For extra stealth, I had a camo cloak. It's literally just a cloak with a camo design nothing fancy.
I must say, the militaries in this world are a bit more modern than I thought.
Though I probably never noticed since I've always been more attracted to the magic system in the game than all the other combat options.
Although I'm dressed like a marksman, I have no ranged capabilities.
Sir Elios once made me try out every weapon, including bows.
Let's just say if the letter grade system existed in this world, he'd give me the lowest one possible.
So yeah.
Armed with only a sword, in the middle of nowhere, crawling with possible hostiles, and with no idea of where their base is.
Not looking great for me.
Hmm...
Let's put our brain to use.
The opponent are a bunch of bandits.
They're holed up somewhere in the middle of this forest.
Unless they want to be spotted. Their base of operations is likely within a cave, but I should keep an open mind in case they have an Illusionist or have a guerilla tactic specialist among them.
According to the reports of both the Lord and villagers, it seems they number roughly thirty, could be more judging by how the guardsmen failed to subdue these hooligans.
They're also quite active. From the rumors I heard, a few of them have the gall to waltz into the fief's local tavern.
Large size, capable of avoiding the law, whilst strolling in broad daylight.
Seems there might be some sort of powerful head honcho who lets them take breaks to blow off steam once in a while.
There'll definitely be patrols in the forest. My best bet is to wait for evening. That's when the guards will go out.
However, wasting all this silent doesn't suit well with me, I've always been the active sort. Never one for idling.
So, I silently patrol the edges of the forest to see if I can run into a patrol or two to wrangle info out of.
Initially, I wanted to disguise myself as one of the villagers and wait in the pub.
But it's possible news about the arrival of a member of the Royal Guard might have reached their ears.
If they can receive news about me, then it's more than likely they'll identify me
So far, I've encountered no bandits.
Well, if I can't find one. Then I'll simply let them come to me.
I walk for a while more until I find a tall tree close to the outskirts of the forest.
With a single leap, I position myself onto one of the thick, sturdy branches above.
It's a good thing I chose to wear leather armor. If I wore anything heavier than chainmail. I would've had to climb up. Don't know if the tree can support a person wearing heavy metals.
I adjust myself a bit, making sure the leaves and smaller branches hide my presence whilst making sure there's tiny gaps I can see through.
As I sat on my little makeshift perch. I take the time to gather my thoughts.
Ever since I arrived in this world, things have gone off the rails. Everything I've done so far
Once I'm done with this mission, I should apply for a remote posting.
Not near the border, there's several scenarios in which the Alzar goes to war with a neighboring country.
They were fun to play through, players can earn tons of resources and reputation through wars. Some would even go as far as to instigate one once they've accumulated enough power.
But now that the game has become an actual reality, survival and stability are my top priority.
Hmm, perhaps I should go North, there's that one peaceful city where nothing happens thanks to some sort ritual.
I just have to make an excuse that a potentially dangerous individual is hiding there and bam! Early retirement.
Before I can dream of retirement though, I have to complete this mission.
I waited for a few hours, I spent those hours contemplating what I'd do up North.
Asides from regular patrols, I'll have plenty of free time.
Perhaps I'll start a farm, it'll be hard work, but the life of a country squire doesn't sound too bad.
Wait, it's up north, I don't know how well crops grow up there.
Maybe open a bar?
Nah, there's definitely going to be well-known bars that are more well-established and have a stronger presence.
Bookstore? Possible, but I have to consider the literacy rate. If it's got a low literacy rate, starting a school might not be a bad idea.
I remember there's something related to books I want to do back on my life on Earth, but no matter how hard I try to recall the memory, it's fuzzy.
It's strange, I can recall modern things like pizza or a cellphone just fine, but anything about the Earth me as an individual is hazy.
Only personal thing I can remember clearly is all the times I've played video games, especially Legend Maker 3.
Wonder why tha-
'Rustle!'
My ears perk up.
Damn, seems like I'm lucky, these buckos just got back from their fun.
They're inebriated and off-guard, perfect to take out right now.
But I held back. These guys still have their use.
I wait for the bandits to pass by until their voices were no louder than a whisper.
I hop off the branch and out of my hiding spot.
Following the orange flickers given off by their torch lights, I remain hidden amongst the various bushes and undergrowth.
As I trail the bandits, I silently pray to the Heavens I don't run into any nocturnal creatures who might give away my position.
It seems my prayers were answered.
I stalked the group for a good half hour, perhaps more. I couldn't really tell, the whole ordeal was so nerve-wracking I thought my pounding heart would give away my position before any bat or owl did.
Just as I thought the little nature hike would never end, the bandits grew louder, the flames became brighter. They had stopped.
I sneak closer and spot the group stopping in front of a cave with two guards.
All of them were dressed in shabby and rough clothing typical of bandits. Their weapons though were in decent condition, they look like something one gets from the local blacksmith.
With the existing bandit problem, the Hesh blacksmith should be well-guarded, so it should be impossible for the bandits steal arms from them without taking losses.
Most likely they have a backer. Typical of nobles to sabotage one another.
Politics isn't my concern, I just need to get rid of them, save the people and go back to the Capital.
I listen in on the bandits' conversation.
"How you doing Mark?"
"Not bad, what about you?"
"Been having fun with the boys in the bar. Absolute blast!"
Mark must be the leader of the bandits who just went to town.
"Can't wait to go out myself. Unfortunately my next break comes in three days."
That's one of the guards stationed outside of the cave.
"Shame, boss man's been a bit stricter with the patrols."
Looks like they might have a former soldier in there leading them.
"Well, we had a pretty big haul after hitting that rich carriage. We even got a real pretty lass on our hands. Shame we gave her to the cloaked bastards."
Cloaked bastards? They must be referring to people in the criminal underworld
The guard shrugs at Mark's complaint, "What can we do? Boss' orders. Besides we had fun with some of the locals didn't we?"
"I suppose, anyways, I'm hitting the hay, I'll see ya in the morning."
"Have a goodnight."
Mark lead his posse into the cave, meanwhile I continued to wait outside.
I for an hour, plenty of time for those drunks to go to sleep.
Under the cover of night, I make my move.
Although I'm terrible with a bow, I'm confident in my pitching skills.
From my leg holsters, I draw two throwing knives.
Like a ninja, I clutch two throwing lives in-between the fingers of my right hand.
I flick my wrist, and the two guards thud to the ground, barely making a noise.
Rushing out of the bushes, I quickly retrieve the knives and clean them on the corpses' clothes.
Their base of operations is smaller than I thought.
There were a total of four rooms, or rather three, one of them is just an alcove acting as a storage for spare weapons and some pickaxes.
In front of me is the main room, the mess hall, also where the alcove is.
Absolute pigsty. I'm surprised they haven't been cleared out.
Chairs and bottles are littered everywhere.
I sneak through the dining hall, careful not to step on any of the broken glass and into the next room.
From all the blankets and sleeping bodies, I can tell this is their sleeping quarters.
I draw my knife and quietly slip in.
This is cowardly, but better than alerting the whole camp.
I might be stronger than these guys, but even overwhelming numbers can bring down the greatest.
There's a reason why the 300 are remembered as a glorious last stand and not an overwhelming victory.
One by one, I plunge my knife into their throats.
After killing the last one, I leave the cave full of corpses and proceed deeper down the tunnel.
Great, magic. Most likely dark mages or cultists.
Either way, they're tricky to deal with, but I have the advantage of surprise, so it should work out.
I silently make my way down the corridor to the last room.
Are you for real? Half a dozen black-robed cultists? Why? Just why?
You know what. Maybe I can win this fight. I already dealt with all their meat shields. There's nothing to protect them.
I sneak behind several barrels of rotting carcasses that belongs to god knows what creatures.
While sneaking past, I offer a silent prayer in my heart that these cruelly butchered beings find peace in the afterlife.
Round the corner, I spot my target, a lone cultist reading and scribbling something on a shabby desk.
One of its legs had already been broken, its weight being supported by loose stones.
I silently sneak up behind him and plunge my sword into his back.
Fella didn't know what hit him as he lets out a gasp.
Immediately after my sudden ambush, one of the cultists sees my actions and calls out, "Intrud-!"
My blade parts his head clean off before he can finish.
Two down, four to go.
Unfortunately, my stealth is now blown, with a third of their forces cut down, the survivors leap into action.
As spellcasters, their reactions are fast.
But when a spellcaster gets ambushed by a warrior. The warrior usually draws first blood if not killing them.
That's exactly what's happening in the cave.
Before they can chant their spells, I manage to chuck another throwing knife.
It hits one of the bastards in the chest and he crumples to the ground. I'm not sure if my strike was fatal, better keep an eye on him so he doesn't perform some sort of self-sacrifice ritual.
Now that half their members are gone, the remaining three quickly jump away, gaining distance.
They don't bother demanding my name or what I'm doing here, they skipped straight to spewing curses.
Literally.
The bastards bombarded me with all sorts of hexes and black magic that would've torn through my leather armor like paper mâché.
I duck behind the barrels and pull out a throwing knife.
The boxes and crates behind me containing the rotting carcasses exploded in a gory putrid mess.
Not waiting for them to
The cultists manage to react in time and put up a translucent barrier.
Unfortunately for them, I have a trump card.
Remember how I said Ethan has talent for magic?
Well, the old vet taught me a few nifty tricks, and one of those tricks was perfect for dealing with mages.
One of the best ways to counter magic, is to use magic.
Since I inherently had magic, all I had to do was concentrate my mana
Tch! Got him in the arm.
However, I managed to buy some time.
In the few moments the cultists were stunned that their magic shields could be broken by a mere knife, I dashed up to them, my right hand holding my sword and my left releasing a second throwing knife.
The knife pierces one of them in the throat.
Only two remaining.
I thrust my sword into the abdomen of the injured
Unfortunately, in the few moments I took to deal with him, the final cultist manages to complete his spell in time.
My reflexes kick in, acting on instinct, I hurl my body off to the side.
A bolt of dark magic bursts forth from the magic circle.
'Crack!'
The spell creates a large singed crater in the wall behind me.
Sheesh! What spell was that?
Before he can unleash another spell, I pull off a cowardly trick.
Pulling out another throwing knife, I aim at his lower abdomen.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
Bullseye.
He howls and drops to his knee, clutching his jewels.
Taking this opportunity, I stand up and deliver a haymaker straight to his jaw.
Corn kernels spew out of his mouth, his eyes roll back and slumps to the ground unconscious.
With all the cultists defeated, I finish them all, one by one with a knife to their throat.
Yes, I even sliced open the throat of the guy I already skewered.
One can never be too careful with cultists, better be safe than sorry.
With all threats neutralized, I begin investigating the area, there's a bunch of manuscripts and papers lying on the table of the first cultist I killed. I should start there.
Before I can begin retrieving evidence, my search is interrupted by some noises.
'Mmm!' 'Mmm!'
Sounds rather muffled, are they keeping someone captive here?
I search around the cultist abode and find the source of the noise.
A giant cube covered with a dirty tablecloth.
From the parts poking out, I identify it as a metal cage.
Curious of the noises, and wanting to save whatever surviving innocents are trapped, I pull back the rough cloth.
My breath hitches.
My dreams of a mundane bandit extermination and retirement are over.
For the person inside will without doubt drag me, a member of the Royal Guard, into complicated political matters.
Inside is a young blonde lady wearing a noble a red dress.
Not just any blonde.
It's none other than one of the main characters, Elize Drussel, gagged and hands tied.
...
Well f-