Not much is being said. In all likelihood there isn't a whole lot that needs saying in between this bunch of miscreants. As the other guard pulls to a stop alongside the wagon of the slavers he throws me the keys for the cage in the back.

"Get the merchandise lined up so we can take a good look at them."

One of the four slave traders, the youngest of the bunch, the one who has been tending the fire so far, comes around to join me and probably lend me a hand in general, while one of the two watchful ones gets a sizable and quite heavy leather pouch from the back of their wagon. Judging by the jingling sound of it, it's full of coin. Perfect.

The time to strike is fast approaching though. I can't really let the prisoners out of the cage yet. The risk that they would get in the way or do something regrettable is too high. Especially as I am one of their captors as far as they can tell. Yes, as things are right now, it's for the best if they stay in the cage on the wagon for a little while longer.

With keys and crossbow in hand I come around towards the back of the wagon and everyone else is about as distracted as they will ever be. The one tending the horses is focused on those. The two slavers who were alert before are now in a hushed conversation with the other guard.

The only one paying any attention to me is the youngster. And he is paying attention to me in the way unique to young men. His eyes are on my, or rather Edyta's curves. He doesn't even take note of the crossbow as I turn around and bring it to bear on him.

I can feel my [Bluff] skill improve a little, but I ignore it for now, as there are other things I need to focus on. I don't bother bringing the weapon up to aim it properly. Instead I fire it from the hip. Thus he only realizes that something is wrong when the quarrel buries itself in his guts.

[*Ding!* Hit! Jurek's Health reduced by 37!]

That isn't the only notification either. Another follows suit.

[*Ding!* You have unlocked the Ranged Weapons general skill at Level 1!]

This one is pretty much to be expected and it will probably serve me well in the future. For now it progresses my masked mediator class. As an aside my [Sleight of Hand] skill improves some more too. It seems that making an underhanded attack like this counts towards the progress of this skill as well.

The young slaver, Jurek, if the notification is to be believed, in the meantime is too surprised to scream. Or maybe the bolt drove the air from his lungs? It could be either. I shot him pretty much at point blank range after all.

The shot doesn't go unnoticed by the others though. A crossbow, even a relatively light one, is not an absolutely silent weapon after all. It's string makes a very distinctive sound when being released. The sound of the bolt punching into flesh is hard to mistake too.

Thankfully the other slavers come to all the wrong conclusions. They raise their weapons, if you want to call their rather ceremonial clubs that and turn on the other guard, who is about as surprised by this turn of events as the slavers, not that they seem to care.

"Traitors!"

"Scum!"

Yes the, older duo in charge really comes to all the wrong conclusions that are entirely in my favor. I have been prepared to fight them all, but them turning on the other guard makes things easier for me, even if not by much.

I don't give any of them time to reconsider. I don't give the wounded youngster time to recover either. Instead of reloading the crossbow though I draw my borrowed short sword. Reloading a light crossbow would, in theory not actually take very long, but it still would take time I don't want to waste right now. And at this range a weapon like it wouldn't be much of a benefit anyway.

The wounded youngster looks up at me, confusion clear on his face, just in time to take my first slash right across the throat.

[*Ding!* Hit! Jurek's Health reduced by 40!]

[*Ding!* You have defeated Jurek the slaver!]

The short sword isn't as fine a weapon as my usual long sword, but it does the job just fine anyway. As the dying man drops first to his knees and then to the ground altogether, I can feel both my [Blades] and my [Melee Weapons] skill improve a little. One down, four more to go.

My fellow guard is holding his own against the two slavers he has been talking with only moments before, despite taking a few nasty blows from them. One of the slavers is already bleeding from a nasty cut too. As far as I'm concerned everything is alright on that front. I turn to face the one approaching me from the direction of the slavers cart in the meantime. This one is a woman only a little older than the one I just dispatched judging by her looks and she seems downright furious.

"You traitorous bitch! Damn it! I told my brother not to get involved with you. I told him this wouldn't end well!"

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Oh? So that is why he was looking at me like that? It seems my impersonation of the female guard was good enough to fool him. Well, he and Edyta probably really weren't all that close in that case. Either way, my act still seems to be good enough to fool the woman I now suspect to be his older sister. And her making a scene because of it only adds to the impression I want to leave with the prisoners still locked in the cage on the back of the wagon.

In fact my act is good enough to earn me another little increase for my [Bluff] skill. Very good. Very good indeed!

I don't waste any time. As she lunges at me, club raised high for a powerful but clumsy strike, I counter with a lunge of my own to drive my sword up into her heart from below with an equally powerful thrust.

[*Ding!* Critical Hit! Kaska's Health reduced by 98!]

[*Ding!* You have defeated Kaska the slaver!]

My aim is true and the results thus as deadly as expected. She barely has time to blink in surprise before the light of life fades from her eyes. A quick death. It's honestly the best a slaver can expect from my hand.

[*Ding!* Your skill Blades has leveled up to level 7!]

Another little bit of progress for my scoundrel class. And my [Melee Weapons] skill improves another little bit too. Never mind that my potential damage output rises too thanks to the additional skill level. I really need to spend some more time up in the adventurers' guild's attic training my other blade related skills to unlock a nice fighter class. That's a problem for another day though. After all I'm not quite done committing bloody murder here and now.

The other fight has wound down too by now. I turn to take stock of how it played out. The other guard is still standing. The two slavers, in hindsight quite possibly the parents of the duo I killed, not so much. Dealing with them took a toll out of the man though. He is still holding his sword, but he is holding it in his off hand now, as his other hangs limp and bent at an unnatural angle, clearly broken. He seems exhausted too.

"Damn it! Edyta! What the hell has gotten into you?"

Wonderful! Exactly the question I have been hoping for! Well, one variation of it anyway. Close enough is good enough for me though, thus I certainly won't complain. No, I just smirk.

"Oh come on. It's not that hard to guess. You have seen that pouch of coin, haven't you? The size of it! The heft!"

To his credit. he doesn't seem shocked. He seems a little disappointed though.

"I see how it is now. Damn wench. Have you gone crazy? The captain will never forget that kind of treachery! That's his coin you are talking about after all. He'll have your head on a pike!"

I just shrug and flick my blade casually to get rid of some of the blood on it.

"He'll have to find me first. The frontier is still a pretty big place after all. Plenty of nothing in between the few towns. And who says that I'll stop here. Maybe I can even start over elsewhere altogether. There certainly is enough coin in that pouch."

These words might have been a little out of character for Edyta. Maybe she isn't the kind of person to think that far ahead? Whatever it is, I can see suspicion grow in his eyes. A moment later I feel the uncomfortable sensation of an identification skill being used on me.

My [Shrouded Soul] skill improves a little too in response. It quickly becomes obvious that my skill is not yet good enough to block his [Appraisal].

Suspicion becomes realization and he grips his sword a little tighter.

"You …"

I just shake my head.

"You shouldn't have. Well, whatever. It probably doesn't make much of a difference in the end. Dead men tell no tales after all."

That's enough to spur him into motion. His strength may be waning, but he knows that his very life depends on him mobilizing the last of his reserves, thus he does.

I manage to parry his clumsy strike, but his blade slides along the length of mine and would have cut into my arm, if not for the borrowed bracers I'm wearing.

[*Ding!* You have been wounded! Health reduced by 0!]

The hit earns me another whispered notification.

[*Ding!* You have unlocked the Light Armor general skill at Level 1!]

It's certainly not unwelcome. Others have suggested I pick up some actual armor and a skill to go with it after all in the past. This is a good first step even if I don't intend to keep my borrowed armor.

Anyway, I'm done playing games. I end my opponent with a powerful thrust. Driving my sword in between his ribs and into his heart. I can feel the edge of the blade scrape across bone as I do so.

[*Ding!* Critical Hit! Ludwik's Health reduced by 98!]

Ludwik coughs up some blood. His last words are barely more than a whisper.

"Should have … Edyta … never this good with a sword."

[*Ding!* You have defeated Ludwik, a guard of Riverrun!]

I frown a little, even as I can feel my [Melee Weapons] and [Blades] skills improve a little each. I really hope no one heard that. Well, the prisoners intended to be sold to the slavers are the only ones left, and they are busy exchanging scared whispers. Whispers that intensify as I turn my attention towards them. The only one not overly shaken by the sudden bloodshed of the last few moments is Lofn.

I turn my attention back to the weapon still stuck in the dead guard's chest. I give it a pull, but it seems stuck in between his ribs. Instead of bothering with it, grab his sword instead. It's pretty much identical after all. Except, it of course isn't. It doesn't quite fit my scabbard thus I exchange that one too in the end.

Finally I pick the keys back up which I dropped only moments ago. I throw them to the elf in the cage. The only one with enough presence of mind to actually catch them right now. I pick the heavy leather pouch full of coin up too, before addressing the prisoners still in their cage.

"Whatever you do, you probably shouldn't return to Riverrun any time soon. Might be for the best if you go somewhere else for a while. Or don't. Whatever, it's not really my problem."

As I finish speaking I lock gazes with Lofn and mouth a few more words without saying them out loud.

Riverrun. Upstream. Mill. Núira.

Judging by the surprised look in her eyes she seems to understand well enough though.

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