Kapitel 16: First Mission Complete
The people on the wall stood in stunned silence, processing the gruesome display Kai had shown them. It took a few seconds for anyone to react. The first to snap out of it was the man in silver armor. He glanced at his teacher, Elder Thane, who nodded subtly, signaling his approval.
"Mr. Kai, you can come in, but could you please have your men wait outside for now?" Elder Thane asked cautiously.
The army that accompanied Kai looked formidable, and even Elder Thane, with his extensive battlefield experience, felt an instinctive caution. The bloodlust he had sensed from them earlier had set off alarms in his mind. Allowing them inside the village walls could pose a significant risk if things turned hostile.
Kai understood the concern and nodded in agreement. He chose to bring only Yaria and Evelyne with him. Evelyne's daughter, Aya, wanted to join, but Kai gently refused, leaving the little bunny sulking by Yaria's side.
Kai had a specific reason for bringing Evelyne along. He wanted to test the villagers' tolerance and see how deep the discrimination ran against other races.
Before entering the village, Kai gave Yod clear instructions. "If anything happens, or if we don't come out in two hours, return to our base, bring everyone, and attack the village. Make sure no one survives."
He ensured his order was loud enough for the prisoners nearby to hear, ensuring the threat was understood.
Kai also brought the prisoners along as they approached the slowly opening gate. Once inside, the gate creaked shut behind them, sealing them in.
As they entered the village, Kai could feel the disgust from the villagers when they saw Evelyne's rabbit ears. In contrast, Yaria received looks of curiosity. Though not the brightest student in his school, Kai could easily guess the source of the disdain. 'It seems like humans in this world hate races that look very different from them,' Kai thought.
Suddenly, a voice broke through the tension. "Karla!" a villager shouted, running towards one of the prisoners.
"Father!" The young woman prisoner cried out as she saw her family again.
The old man rushed forward to embrace his daughter, but before he could reach her, Kai's hammer slammed into the ground before him, stopping him in his tracks. The man froze shock and fear washing over his face.
"Why are you stopping me?" the old man yelled, his emotions boiling.
"What do you mean, why? She's my loot from the bandits. If you want her, you'll have to buy her from me," Kai said coldly.
"Didn't we pay you for this?" the old villager asked, his voice trembling.
"You must be confused, old man. You paid me to clear the bandits, not to bring back the captives," Kai replied, his tone unyielding.
The old man's shoulders slumped in despair. He had thought his daughter was lost forever when she was kidnapped by the bandits while gathering wild vegetables on the outskirts of the forest. His wife had fallen ill from the grief, and now this final blow seemed too much to bear.
Desperation took over, and he drew a sickle from his hip—the one he usually used to tend his fields. "Give me back my daughter, or..." Before he could finish, his daughter rushed forward and collided with him, wrapping her arms around him.
"Bam!!" The impact was jarring, but she clung to him tightly.
"Father, stop," she sobbed, clinging to him. "You'll get us both killed if you keep this up." The girl had already witnessed the horrors that Kai and his barbarians were capable of. The bandits, who had far more trained men than the village, were slaughtered like chickens—especially after the chilling order Kai had given to one of the barbarians earlier.
Before the situation could escalate further, Elder Thane descended from the wall and approached, his expression one of concern. "What's going on here?" he asked, his voice steady but his eyes sharp as they scanned the tense scene.
A nearby villager, who had watched everything unfold, quickly filled Elder Thane in on what had happened.
Elder Thane frowned deeply, the lines on his forehead creasing with worry. "Mr. Kai, I'm sorry for what happened," he said apologetically.
Kai simply waved his hand, dismissing the apology. Clearly, he wasn't offended, but the tension in the air remained thick. Elder Thane then led Kai and his companions to an empty building to discuss the price of the captives.
"So, Mr. Kai, about the price for the captives..." Elder Thane began, trying to keep the conversation as calm as possible.
"As you are my first patron, I'll give you a big discount—five gold for each one," Kai replied.
The room fell silent at the mention of the price. It was a steal for human lives. A slave in the town could easily be worth fifty gold for a young one, and even more for a woman with good looks.
The villagers outside, who were eavesdropping, sighed in relief. Kai wasn't gouging them dry. The father of the captive woman hurried home, retrieving the money from behind his sick wife's pillow.
"Thank you so much, Mr. Kai. As for your reward..." Elder Thane gestured towards the door as a few villagers entered, carrying three large boxes. They placed them on the ground, and Yaria quickly sprang forward, eagerly checking the contents.
After inspecting the boxes thoroughly, Yaria gave Kai a thumbs-up, signaling that everything was in order. Kai nodded in satisfaction.
"And as agreed, ten percent of our harvest is already being carried outside the wall to your men," Elder Thane added.
Just then, a blue hologram appeared in front of Kai, startling him.
[Congrats on finishing your first mission as a Mercenary. Please go ahead and return to your base to see the requirements for upgrading your base.]
The message filled Kai with joy, and he felt excited. He wanted to jump in celebration but restrained himself, maintaining his composure in front of Elder Thane and the others. Instead, he smiled and extended his hand to the elder.
"Happy cooperation with you, Elder Thane. If you ever need my services again, hang a blue fabric in front of your gate, and I will come to meet you the next day," he said confidently.
Kai had already planned to have one of his barbarians check the gate every afternoon. It wouldn't be difficult for them to venture into the forest, especially since there were no dangerous beasts on the outskirts.
Elder Thane extended his hand as well, shaking Kai's firmly. "Once again, thank you, Mr. Kai." After their handshake, another villager handed Kai a pouch full of gold. Kai knew immediately that it was the ransom for the captives.
He jiggled the pouch, feeling the weight of the gold, and smiled. He didn't bother counting the exact amount.
As Kai, Yaria, and Evelyne left the village with their spoils, the gates creaked open, and a wave of relieved cheers erupted from the villagers. It was a stark contrast to the tension that had gripped the village only hours before. They had been on edge, fearing the bandits' return, but Kai had turned the tide in their favor.
"Thank you, Mr. Kai! Thank you!" echoed through the air as they passed through. Even those who had been skeptical of Kai and his barbarian entourage couldn't help but join in the celebration.
Kai, carrying two of the heavy boxes with ease, gave a nod of acknowledgment, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth. Yaria, stoic as always, merely grunted in approval while Evelyne, wary of the humans' reactions, stayed close to Kai, her eyes scanning the crowd with a mix of caution and curiosity.
As they disappeared into the forest, the villagers' cheers gradually faded, and they returned to their homes, spirits lifted by the mercenaries' departure.
Back inside the village, the atmosphere was far more somber. In a dimly lit room, Albert, the man in silver armor and one of his protectors, stood beside Elder Thane.
The room's stone walls were lined with crude wooden furniture, and a single table stood in the center. Around it, a few of the villagers gathered, their faces a mix of relief and lingering fear. Across from them sat the freed captives, including the young woman named Karla.
Elder Thane leaned forward, his expression a blend of stern authority and gentle concern. "We need to know everything, child. What happened to you? What did you see?"
Karla, still visibly shaken, took a deep breath. Her eyes flickered nervously as if replaying the terror she had endured. "The bandits... they were ruthless. But it wasn't until Kai and his men found us that I truly saw horror."
Albert, who had been quietly listening, straightened, his curiosity piqued. "Tell us more. What did they do?"
Karla's hands trembled slightly as she spoke. "They didn't just kill the bandits. They slaughtered them. It was like watching wolves tear apart prey. Kai didn't even flinch. He just... commanded them, and they obeyed without question. The barbarians... they were terrifying. They fought with a kind of savagery I've never seen before."
Elder Thane exchanged a troubled glance with Albert, the weight of Karla's words heavy in the air. "And how did Kai treat you? The prisoners?" he asked, probing deeper, trying to understand the mercenary's true nature.
Karla hesitated, her voice faltering as she recalled the events. "He protected us from the barbarians. There were many times when they wanted to... harm us,, but Mr. Kai stopped them in time." She paused, her face pale as she continued,
"But for the female bandits they captured, their fate was much worse. The barbarians used them as they pleased. Some of the barbarians wanted to take them back to their base, to keep them as... pets."
The room fell into a heavy silence, the gravity of the situation sinking in. Albert clenched his fists, his mind racing with thoughts of the kind of man—or monster—they had just allied with. "And the barbarians?" he asked, his voice quieter now, almost as if he dreaded the answer.
"They were loyal to him," Karla replied, her voice barely above a whisper. "They followed his orders without hesitation. When Kai spoke, they listened, and when he ordered them to spare us, they obeyed. But I could tell... they wanted to do more. To destroy everything in their path."
Albert and Elder Thane exchanged a look, their faces etched with concern. They had hoped Kai would be a simple mercenary, but it was clear he was something far more dangerous. They had avoided disaster this time, but with Kai and his barbarians lurking in the forest, the village's safety was far from assured.
AUTORENGEDANKEN 
BiggusDikguss
BiggusDikguss Sometimes I feel envious of those who have English as their first language. It's really hard for me to express what I want to say when translating from my native language to English.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
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