We slowly made our way, and we had the scent of the bandits so that we could track a fresher scent. However, we still didn't want to fall into anything unforeseen. As the day slowly turned into the afternoon, we stopped on a ridge overlooking a valley with a village built inside. I jumped off Adam and told them to back up behind the crest of the ridge, as I didn't want them to see us. I crawled over the crest, lying flat on the ground, as the skin man started to struggle, and I looked back, giving him a death glare, making him stop.
I could see the men moving around, drinking and gambling, while women were being pushed around and taken into buildings as they struggled. I counted about 1,200 bandits, give or take. They looked to be mostly poor, untrained men, with only 300-400 being any good at fighting. I still had two to three hours before the sun would start to go down.
So I watched for the next two hours and saw if they switched guards hourly. After getting the read on their guarding habits, which looked lax, most likely because no one had found their place, and they got full of themselves after raiding villages, I knew it wouldn't be too hard to assault. Crawling back, I ordered the raptor to put down the skinny man and undid his mouth gag.
'I lead you here, you won't kill me.' He said, making me nod. 'I won't kill you.' As the raptor put his foot on the back of his head, slamming his face into the ground. 'You said you wouldn't kill me!' He yelled, and I nodded. 'I am not the one killing you.' I said as the raptor pushed down, crushing his skull. 'You can eat him,' I said as the raptor started to rip the man's body apart.
'Don't kill any of the ones you smell or any females unless I say so. The men, you can kill and eat, as odds are, they are bandits. We will move down into the valley once night comes.' I said, taking a seat on a rock.
As I slowly watched the sun crest and the last couple of rays of light shine onto the forest behind me, and shadows crept over the valley, the sound of drinking and joy-filled yells echoed out as dusk descended. They were in for a bloody, horrible night of carnage as I smiled, looking into the base as they started to light fires and torches, my eyes able to see clearly in the dark shadows.
As the sun finally crested and night fell, I stood up and whistled, jumped onto Adam's back, and we raced down the path with swiftness, silent like a light breeze on a plain.
We weaved in and out of trees as we closed the distance of four miles. Three miles, finally, the last mile was open ground as I pulled my bow out and notched three arrows, covered in lightning and wind nature magic, aiming at the three guards on the wall facing our way, as the torchlight didn't make it past 25 meters.
I waited until 100 meters before letting the arrows fly, hitting the guards as my Utahraptors got closer to the wall. We jumped, clearing the 15-foot wall and landing on the rooftops behind the wall as they screeched, scaring the men, as I fired three more arrows.
Downing three men who were playing cards near me, as men started to run out of the buildings with their pants down, a couple of my Utahraptors pounced on them, ripping their heads off.
Chaos broke out as my Utahraptors started to hunt down and kill any man that showed themselves near them as the six first-gen Utahraptors and I made our way closer to the center, firing off attacks and arrows, downing any bandit we could see on our way there. I wanted to find the Leader as soon as possible, as killing him would rout the bandits, making it easier to kill them as they tried to run in the night.
As we got closer, a man with a spear quickly appeared near Adam and me. As he thrust out, I made Adam jump over him as I twisted my torso, firing off an arrow, forcing the man to block as he took a step back from deflecting my shot, and Adam landed on the next rooftop.
'Are you the leader of the Bandits?' I asked, and he looked at me as the screams of men dying and the screeches of Utahraptors echoed in the village. 'I take it you're a mercenary hired to kill my men and me. How about I make an offer? You join me, and I will make you my right-hand man. Your talent and beasts show that you're destined to be a strong man in the future. Why die here for just some gold?' He said, looking at me, that I could see his forehead sweating in the firelight.
The sound of his heartbeat was fast; he was scared, and I smiled. 'It's not the money that I do this kind of job, it's the pain people like you inflict on those trying to live their lives in peace. That makes me want to kill you.' I said, putting another arrow into my bow and wishtled as Adam fired two wind blades, making him jump as I fired the arrow, and he blocked it on for Eve to jump from behind him, clamping her mouth around his head as he fell to the ground, she crushed it.
The bandits who had witnessed their Leader get killed began to run for the gates as I let the Utahraptors give chase, as they wouldn't be able to outrun them, and the pace is the only way in and out of the valley. As I landed on the ground, women started to look out of the building as I walked over to the Leader. Picking up the spear, I felt an odd force about it, making me want to keep it as I put it on Adams' harness. A woman walked over.
'I am mercenary Josephine. I overheard that you are a mercenary. I thank you for avenging my group.' She said, placing her hand over her heart and bowing. She was barely clothed and had bruises, telling me she had gone through something. She was cute, with short brown hair and lightly tanned skin. She had a toned body, but wasn't overly muscular, probably a scout class.
'Does this place have any loot? I want to give most of it to the villages that have been severely damaged and have lost a significant amount of their manpower. So they have a chance to rebuild their lives.' I said, making her shocked as most would horde it, but this made her have a good opinion of this boy, and she nodded.
'Yes, they kept all the money and other valuable objects in that building. Are you going to chase after the escaped Bandits?' She asked, worried, if they would regroup.
'My Utahraptors will hunt them; those men can't get away from them. Most died inside the village; only a couple of hundred got away. Can you round up the women and tell me if there are any dead bodies? As I promised to bring them back just in case.' I said, making her nod, and I walked towards the building, sending two Utahraptors with her just in case.
Opening the door, I wandered around until I stopped at a trunk and found a set of leather armor and a cloak, which felt kind of like the spear I had grabbed from the Leader. I wonder what that feeling was. I hadn't been wearing any armor and just plain clothes. It was about time I thought more about my safety, seeing as it was around my size.
I began to put it on, feeling my body grow slightly stronger and my eyesight and hearing improve. Then it dawned on me. This must be enchanted armor, and the spear must be enchanted also. I picked up the cloak, and a bow was under it. It was green with gold trim. As I picked it up and tried to pull the string, I noticed it was harder to pull back.
As I put it on my back, I began to put everything else into my bag and walked out to see ten bodies wrapped up and over 200 women, which made me sigh. 'We will start to travel back in the morning, ladies. Get some sleep. I will watch over you. Josephine, can you make a list of which village they belong to, and can I get the names and villages the dead belong to also?' I asked her, and she smiled and nodded.
I checked in on the hunting, and my Utahraptors had already killed most of the escaped ones; only a few were being hunted down, and they would be done within an hour or so. I sat down feeling happy that my power could save these women, and I killed those who had taken from people.