Chapter 6: Market Run, Bandits, First Blood
Dawn came cold and gray, the kind of light that made every shadow look like it was hiding teeth.
Ellie stood in the stable yard behind the Iron Flagon, breath fogging in short, even puffs. The new boots felt heavier than yesterday—broken in just enough. She carried the milk pitcher slung through her belt like a makeshift mace, handle down. No one commented.
Garrick's crew numbered eleven now: six wagons loaded with crates of iron ingots, salt blocks, and bundled herbs; four outriders besides Garrick himself; and Mara the cook riding shotgun on the lead wagon with a loaded crossbow across her lap. Ellie had been assigned the second wagon—middle of the pack, low exposure, easy to defend or abandon.
Garrick rode up as the gates opened, city watch nodding them through without inspection.
"Outer market's three hours if we push," he said, voice low. "Bandits hit two caravans last week. Stay sharp. You see anything off, shout once. No heroics."
Ellie nodded. She climbed onto the bench beside the driver—a quiet man named Torv who smelled faintly of pipeweed.
The road left Ordelia through the eastern gate, climbing gentle hills patched with winter rye and sheep pens. Mist clung to the hollows like smoke from a dying fire. The wagons rattled; harness chains jingled; hooves thudded in uneven rhythm.
For the first hour, nothing happened.
Ellie watched the landscape scroll past: stone fences crumbling at the edges, occasional cairns topped with faded prayer ribbons, crows lifting from bare branches. She cataloged it all without attachment. Data.
Torv broke the silence once.
"You don't talk much."
"No."
He grunted. "Good. Talkers get shot first."
Another hour. The road dipped into a shallow valley flanked by dense scrub oak and bramble. Visibility dropped. Garrick raised a fist; the column slowed.
Ellie's HUD pinged softly.
[Passive Alert: Hostile presences detected – 300 meters ahead, concealed][Basic Analysis: 7–9 individuals, light armor, ranged weapons probable][Threat level: Moderate]
She leaned forward slightly. "Torv."
He glanced sideways.
"People in the trees. Left side. Waiting."
Torv's pipe nearly fell from his mouth. "How in the hells—"
"Gut feeling."
He didn't question it. He flicked the reins, slowing the wagon further, and gave a low whistle—two short, one long. The signal rippled forward.
Garrick turned in the saddle, eyes narrowing. He scanned the treeline, then looked back at Ellie. She met his gaze and gave a single nod.
He cursed under his breath and drew his longsword.
The first arrow came a heartbeat later.
It punched through the lead wagon's canvas with a wet thup, embedding in the crate behind Mara. She didn't flinch. She simply raised the crossbow and loosed. A scream answered from the brush.
Chaos.
Seven bandits burst from cover—leather jerkins, short bows, clubs, one with a rusted glaive. They moved like men who'd done this before: two flanking the lead wagon, three rushing the middle, two hanging back to loose arrows.
Ellie vaulted off the bench before Torv could stop her.
She hit the ground running—boots gripping dirt—straight toward the three closing on her wagon. No plan beyond reducing variables.
The nearest bandit—a wiry man with a scarred cheek—saw her coming and laughed. He raised a short sword.
Ellie closed the distance in four strides. She ducked the swing—clumsy, overconfident—and drove the pitcher upward under his chin. Teeth clacked. Blood sprayed.
He dropped.
[Critical hit! Bandit (Lv. 4) defeated][+68 EXP]
The second bandit—a woman with a club—lunged. Ellie sidestepped, caught the club on her forearm (dampener ate most of the sting), and swung the pitcher in a flat arc. Rim met temple. Bone gave.
[Bandit (Lv. 3) defeated][+52 EXP]
The third hesitated—eyes wide at the two bodies.
Ellie didn't hesitate.
She stepped in, grabbed his jerkin, yanked him forward, and drove her knee into his groin. He folded. She brought the pitcher down on the back of his skull.
He stopped moving.
[Bandit (Lv. 4) defeated][+71 EXP][Level Up! Level 4 reached][+5 to all stats. New skill unlocked: Adrenaline Surge (Active) – Temporarily boosts AGI +20% for 10 seconds. Cooldown: 5 minutes.]
Breathing steady. Pulse elevated but controlled.
Around her, the fight was ending.
Garrick had cut down two archers; Mara's second bolt took another in the throat. The remaining bandits broke running for the trees.
One arrow still came Ellie's way—wild, panicked.
It grazed her shoulder, tearing cloth and skin.
[HP: 168/178][Minor wound – bleeding suppressed by Pain Dampener]
She ignored it.
Garrick rode up, blood on his blade. "You good?"
"Yes."
He looked at the three bodies at her feet. Then at the pitcher—now slick and red.
"Gods below," he muttered. "Where'd you learn to fight like that?"
"Nowhere."
He stared a moment longer, then shook his head. "Right. Help secure the wagons. We move fast—reinforcements might be close."
Ellie nodded.
She wiped the pitcher on a dead bandit's cloak. Slung it back through her belt.
As the caravan reformed—canvas patched, wounds bandaged, dead dragged off the road—the System chimed again.
[Quest Updated: Supply Run – Bandit Encounter Complete]Bonus: Neutralized 3 hostiles personallyReward: 300 EXP, +50 Stormblade Company Reputation, Unlock Shop Interface (Basic)][New Item in Inventory: Bandit's Short Sword – Common – Durability 32/50]
Ellie opened the Shop tab for the first time.
A simple grid appeared: potions (health, mana), basic gear (leather gloves, cloak), skill shards (minor), consumables (rations, bandages). Prices in System Credits.
She had 60 credits now.
She purchased:
Minor Health Potion ×1 (20 credits) Leather Gloves (15 credits)
The items materialized in her inventory—a small glass vial and supple brown gloves. She drank the potion; the shoulder graze sealed in seconds. Pulled on the gloves. Better grip.
Torv stared as she climbed back onto the bench.
"You just… made stuff appear?"
"No," Ellie said. "I bought it."
He decided not to ask.
The caravan rolled on.
Two hours later, they reached the outer market—a sprawl of canvas stalls, livestock pens, and shouting traders under the open sky. Garrick paid the entry toll; wagons were directed to the merchant quarter.
Ellie stepped down, boots crunching gravel.
Garrick clapped her shoulder—light, careful.
"You're officially on payroll now. Five silver a week. And if you keep fighting like that, I'll double it."
Ellie nodded once.
Inside her head, the blue text updated quietly.
[Side Quest: First Impressions – Complete]Reward: 200 EXP, Minor Reputation Boost (Ordelia Commoners), Shop Interface fully unlocked[Level 5 reached]
She looked at the bustling market—colors, noise, motion.
Still no emotion.
But something close to satisfaction registered in the data log.
Small. Faint.
Enough.
She started walking toward the nearest stall selling cloaks.
Winter was coming.
And she had coins to spend.