Kapitel 11: Chapter 11
Once Gentle was finished he exited the room with a satisfied smile. He nodded his thanks toward me and I nodded back. I whistled sharply and a moment later, Floki and Sceolang came bounding from the shadows.
"I want you two to follow the trail left by those men, go!" having received my command, they turned and bounded off with the three of us in hot pursuit.
"Once we find them, I don't want any survivors." I said and Gunnar and Gentle nodded in understanding.
Floki and Sceolang moved at a pace that allowed us to follow. If they wanted, they could have easily left us behind. But at this pace we managed. The trail we followed was faint. If not for the two of them, I would have lost it long ago. There was still sunlight, dim though it may be due to the clouds.
We traveled for about two hours before Floki and sceolang came to a crouch. We eased ourselves alongside them and crawled the rest of the way. As we moved it became clear that we were above some hill. We had a great view of a small clearing. It was well hidden, enough that one would easily pass it if they weren't looking.
There was a small stream that separated the area in two. The ground was mostly covered in snow, but there were a few dead trees here and there. At the rear was another hill that provided perfect cover. There was a whole in the face of the hill, almost invisible to the eye. There were rocks and snow nearly covering the entrance. That was the lair of the bandits.
I would have picked a better spot. While the two hills gave good cover, it also allowed them to be spied on from each hill. A decent scout would have no trouble getting to this position and would easily be able to report their comings and goings.
"This is it, so, do we run in? I much prefer that strategy over sneaking around like this." Gentle said in a low voice.
"We could, as a matter of fact we will. Let loose and go wild." I answered as I stood to my feet, the others following my lead.
With sword in hand, I lept down the hill. I could hear the others following behind me as I went. With a thud, we landed in the clearing and joged our way towards the entrance to their lair. Once we made it to the entrance, I noticed how small the cave entrance was. It was probably large enough for an average sized man to enter with ease. But the three of us weren't average. Looking back I eyed Gentle and Gunnar up, then I looked at Floki and Sceolang.
"Floki, Sceolang, lead the way. Don't go too far ahead, keep things nice and tight." They nodded in understanding and walked to the entrance, slipping in with ease. I crouched and shimmied in without much difficulty. Looking back, I saw Gentle and Gunnar squeez in with a bit more difficulty. Especially Gentle since he was almost as wide as he was tall. Turning back around, I nodded for them to continue.
The path went on for about two minutes, and as we neared the end the ceiling rose, allowing us to stand at full height. Coming out of the tunnel, we entered a cavern. From what I could tell, the place looked natural though I wasn't sure. The cavern is spacious, with three other tunnels leading off into different directions.
The path directly opposite us had some light emanating from it. The one to the left had some makeshift door that was latched shut with twine and other materials. The doorway to right was dark and even from here I could make out the smell of piss, shit and god knows what else.
Just then, I heard laughter coming from the path in the middle. It seems that's where all the bandits are at. Before going there however, I just want to make sure that the other paths are cleared. Wouldn't want to end up flanked due to negligence.
I made hand gestures, informing Gentle and Gunnar to guard the middle path until I was ready. They both nodded and made their way over. They stood on each side of the path ready for anything that came through. I nodded and made my way to the right. As I neared, the smell grew stronger but I endured.
Peering around the corner I was met with a small room. It was dark, but from what I could make out, this was where they pissed and shit. Also served as a dumpster. To my shock however, I spotted a few corpses. They were in different stages of decay, but from what I could tell, they were all the corpses of women.
Turning from the room, I made my way towards the door on the left. As I neared the door, I could hear whimpering. Getting up against the door, I was sure I could hear the sounds of soft crying. Standing this close, I also identified the smell of sweat and unwashed bodies.
Using my sword I easily cut the bindings that held the door in place. With a creaking sound, I swung the door open. The room was dark, and at the edges of that darkness I made out shapes. Once my eyes adjusted, I saw three figures huddled up at the far end of the room. In the center, sprawled out and in a terrible state, was a woman. She didn't move, and if not for the slight rise and fall of her chest, I would presume her dead.
I took a step in and nearly slipped. Looking down, I spotted a puddle of some unknown fluid and shook my head. I stepped over the puddle and towards the woman lying in the center. Crouching down I got a better look at her. Her hair was disheveled and covered most of her face. But I could make out lumps from some trauma or another dotting her face. Her lips were cracked and she was missing both her eyes.
I fought back the urge to vomit at the sight of this poor woman. She also smelled like stale vomit and sex. She wore a simple cotton shirt that covered most of her body. From what I could see through the many tears was a severely malnourished body.
Her arms and legs were painfully thin, and her hands told a story of it's own. They were caked with filth, skin torn in many places. Her nails, the ones she still had at least, had blood covered gunk underneath. This woman was a fighter, but I doubted she could fight anymore.
"By the old gods and the new, if you touch her, I'll kill you" Looking over to the source of the voice, weak though it was, I saw a man shackled to the left end of the room. Ignoring the woman for now, I made my way towards the man. As I neared, I noticed four other men. No, two of them couldn't have been older than fifteen, while the other two looked to be in their twenties.
I looked towards the man who spoke. He was older, perhaps in his forties. It was hard to tell, what with all the filth and no doubt the stress making him look older. His eyes were dark and they stared at me with such malice and unbridled defiance and fury. His face was gout and bruised. His beard covered his lower face and it was dark, though I think that had more to do with the fact that it was unwashed for some time.
"My name is Ragnar, and I'm not here to harm you." I said in an even tone. The others beside him shook, no doubt finding my words false. The man however just stared into my eyes unblinking.
"Wildlings?" He asked, his voice carrying surprising power behind it.
"No, I come from a village not too far from here. A few bandits came causing a scene, making demands. So, we killed them. We kept one alive long enough to find this place. And now we're here to finish what we started." I answered.
The others ceased their shaking and looked at me in wonder and a little disbelief. All that was just background noise however, as the man never broke eye contact with me. He seemed to be thinking hard about my words. And searching my eyes for any lie, though he would find none. After a few more seconds he spoke.
"Free us, and we will fight until either they are dead, or we die in the act."
AUTORENGEDANKEN 
Bigbaby
Bigbaby Is it too slow? Let me know if the pace is alright. Also, I have a few ideas for the Mc having magic and the type he would have. If you have any preference let me know. Though, please try to keep it reasonable, this isn’t some high fantasy. And don’t expect for him to master the magic in a few chapters. It could take years if not decades to be that proficient. Y’all know what to do, leave a comment and or review. Peace ✌️
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein