Chapter - 12
Leo walked over to Varkas's massive corpse.
The massive monster who was inviting Leo to the Blackfang bandits not too long ago, now just lay there, looking so peaceful.
The lucky guy managed to break the loop of lust, greed and power and achieve Nirvana thanks to Leo. In his next afterlife, Varkas will make a statue of Leo and worship it as his benefactor.
Meanwhile, without a shred of decency, Leo began patting down his corpse. The dead were already gone, why waste his possessions?
Looting was a sacred ritual for any gamer, and he wasn't about to let real-world sentiments get in the way.
He found a surprisingly heavy coin purse, a wicked-looking hunting knife, and a half-eaten piece of stale bread. He pocketed the coins and the knife, tossing the bread aside.
"Don't just stand there gawking," Leo barked at Grendel. "Check the other one. And the ones in the wagon. They won't be needing their gold anymore."
Grendel, spurred into action by Leo's commanding tone, scurried off to do as he was told.
Leo's eyes then fell upon the unconscious Brena. She was lying in a heap near the tree where Varkas had thrown her. She had a trickle of blood running down her temple.
She was a backstabbing bitch who played her role really well to trap her targets.
The bitch was ugly in her heart, but damn if she was an attractive whore, just like those MILFs in the AVs he watched. Just the right amount of flesh in the right places.
If only she wasn't a whore riding every cock she got, he wouldn't have minded having a taste of her.
'But why waste her?' Leo couldn't help but think. He can just use her to lose his virginity and get done with her.
But the more he thought about it, he didn't like the idea. To lose his virginity to such a dirty bitch, no, he did not want to.
"What should we do with her?" Just then Grendel asked. He returned with a few more coins he had scavenged. But Leo gestured to him to keep them with himself.
"Let's leave her for the wolves. It's what she deserves." Grendel suggested, happily putting the coins in his pockets.
Leo stroked his chin, considering the options. Killing her was easy. He could put his sword through her heart right now and be done with it. But where was the fun in that? And where was the profit?
"No," Leo said finally, a cold, calculating look in his eyes. "Killing her is a waste of a perfectly good asset."
"Asset?" Grendel looked confused, then looked at the girl. She did have good assets.
"An alive Blackfang bandit member, especially one involved in this kind of high-profile robbery, is worth a lot more to the Auravale guards than a dead one," Leo explained, as if talking to a simple child.
"There's always a bounty. Reward for information. And besides," he added, a cruel smile touching his lips, "I think watching her try to beg and lie her way out of a noose will be far more entertaining than just leaving her here."
Leo got some rope from here and there and walked over to Brena. He showed no gentleness as he hauled her up, flipping her onto her stomach and expertly tying her hands behind her back.
Brena moaned softly as he pulled the ropes tight, the friction burning her skin, but she didn't wake.
"Enjoying it even when half dead?" Leo taunted her. He was pragmatic, efficient, and completely detached.
Right now Brena wasn't a person to him. She was just a big bag of gold.
"There," he said, admiring his handiwork. "Let's load her onto the cart. She can ride with the hay."
And just like that Brena was tossed at the back of Grendel's cart.
"Did you not find anyone else?" Leo dusted his hands and asked Grendel.
"I don't think anyone else is left alive," Grendel said gesturing towards the corpses around them, "She is the last one. I would still suggest, let us kill her and leave. It's better we not get involved."
'It's strange,' Leo was confused, 'There should be something we are missing."
Because it made no sense that the system would consider Brena as a civilian. And he did not find any boxes filled with gold, silver, treasures or some valuable cargo. So if it was not about money, there should be someone important these dead soldiers were escorting.
And since the bandits and soldiers are all dead? The person could not have just vanished. And he was right, because just then, he heard some faint sounds.
Ummm! Ummmph! Ummm!
It was a muffled sound, weak but distinct, coming from the direction of the overturned, half-burnt carriage.
Grendel jumped, his eyes wide with fear. "What was that? A ghost?"
Leo rolled his eyes. "Don't be an idiot. Ghosts don't make that sound." He drew his sword, and tried to activate his Predator's Instincts. But nothing tingled in his radar. So it was not a threat.
Could it be the survivor?
"Did you check the cart?" Leo asked Grendel.
"Ummm… How would I know there was something in this burning old thing," Grendel tried to justify himself.
"You… I will deal with you later," Leo could not believe this useless old man.
He approached the carriage cautiously, his new tunic making his movements eerily silent. The door was jammed shut. With an annoyed grunt, he kicked it hard. The wood splintered, and the door flew open with a crash, revealing the dark, smoky interior.
Inside, amidst scorched cushions and expensive-looking luggage, was a figure. A young woman, bound tightly with ropes and with a thick gag stuffed in her mouth.
Leo could not make out clearly, because of all the soot on her face, but looking at the fine silk dress she was wearing that was torn, he knew she was the "cargo" the soldiers were escorting.
Meanwhile as she saw someone standing in front of her, the girl looked up. And despite all the smoke and the soot, it was no mistaking that the girl was undeniably beautiful.
Her long, blonde hair fell in a tangled mess around her face, and her beautiful green eyes held a hint of fear. But the way she looked at the two of them, there was an unmistakable air of arrogance.
But Leo quickly stepped inside and with the knife he got from Varkas's dead body, cut the ropes binding her. The moment the ropes fell away, the girl did not wait and tore the gag from her own mouth, gasping for air.
Leo was ready for tears to flow. He expected gratitude. He expected a, "Thank you, my brave hero! You saved my life. My body and soul belong to you."
But what he got was a face full of venom.
The young woman scrambled back, her green eyes blazing with a mixture of fear and pure, unadulterated disdain. She first looked at Leo, his face covered in dirt, and then at Grendel, a simple peasant. Her face twisted into a sneer.
"You! Commoner!" she spat, her voice sharp and commanding despite her situation, "You finally decided to show up, have you? Untie me this instant!"
"Wait... you already have."
"What took you so long? Well, don't just stand there! Who are you? Are you with them? Did you kill those bandits just so you could rob me yourself?!"
And the girl just went on a rampage, not letting either Leo or Grendel speak. Leo stood frozen for a second, his sword still in hand, completely taken aback by the sheer audacity. He had just fought a literal berserker, killed two people, and saved her from a fate worse than death, and her first words were accusations and commands.
For a fleeting moment, he had a thought of drilling his sword through her mouth. But just at that moment Grendel spoke up, breaking his chain of thoughts.
"My lady, you misunderstand! This young man, he…" Grendel tried to explain, but he was interrupted.
"Silence, peasant!" she snapped without even looking at him, "I wasn't speaking to you!"
"Do you have any idea if you had delayed any longer, those low-lives…" The girl felt wronged.
What had happened was that the unnamed bandit and Berna before their so-called "Roleplay" had silenced the girl and put her in the back of the cart. They did not want to worry about her running away or ruining their fun. They totally ignored the burning fire in the cart. They were just in too much hurry to get their fun activities started.
"Hmpph… Whatever."
Leo felt a slow, dangerous smile spread across his face. This was… unexpected. And far, far more interesting than a weeping damsel. Oh, this was going to be fun. He was already thinking of all the ways he could make her regret that tone.
But before he could deliver a scathing reply, a sound only he could hear chimed in his mind. A new screen, glowing with a golden light, materialized in his vision.
DING!
[New Quest Available: A Thorny Rose]
[Objective: Escort Lady Aliana Dargan safely to her father, Lord Caelum Dargan, in Auravale.]
[Rewards: 1 Body Tempering Pill, Magical Fingers Skill]
"So the precious cargo is actually Lady Aliana Dargan, daughter of the Bastard City Lord."
Leo's eyes flickered with amusement, and his smile widened. This new world just keeps getting better.
[Accept the Quest?]
[Y/N]
** ** ** ** **
[
Author's Note:
If you are enjoying the story, do comment on the chapters, vote with power stones and golden tickets.
Thank you
]