CHAPTER 7

DUMRULS

 

(The Man's POV)

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Although we were relatively close to the road, it was still at least half a thousand lengths up in the hillside and more than three hundred lengths away from the commotion. There was no immediate threat, but I was still disturbed. It was too close to light an open fire with wet wood. The smoke could have been easily seen at this distance.

 

'There were at least eight of these dumruls out there.' I thought. walking away from the lookout. ‘Probably at least that much hidden still in the woods too.’

 

Then the wind changed direction suddenly bringing a faint scent of burning wood to me. Immediately being alerted, I stopped and warned the woman through the bond. She was startled by the suddenness of my actions at first but then she too tried to smell, but couldn’t catch it. I run some of my energy towards my ears and nose, then prepared the proper images to enhance my senses.

 

“[Ezin]” I murmured while Reason cast a silent ‘[Buyiden]’ simultaneously. There was still some tingling from the day before but at least, not something unbearable. Now, with my enhanced ears and nose, I started to track the scent like a southern bloodhound. 

 

It may very well be hundreds of lengths away from our position however I didn’t want to risk it. Disregarding the protest of my stomach, I instructed the woman to leave everything here and follow me and started to climb towards the source. After some time following the scent only to hear distant voices, I slowed down and started to walk in a much more subtle way.

 

Passion was watching the woman in case she decided to do something stupid but even after hearing the voices, she didn’t make a sound. She was confused and anxious but not afraid. 

 

There, less than half a thousand length climb away there was another opening, higher and better protected from this side of the mountain and probably one which provides a better vantage point too.

 

The smell of burning wood was stronger now and the smell of meat was accompanying it. There were two different male voices, talking in a language I don’t understand naturally.

 

I stopped the woman, untied her hands, and gave her two of her stilettos, the ones she hid in her underclothes previously. Even if she realized it, she didn't give any thought to it. She held the stilettos and gawked at me, not understanding why her captor was untying her and giving her weapons.

 

(There are voices of two men. Assume that there are more. Take these two daggers and, sneak towards the men, and try to listen. Translate their talk to me through the bond. If they spot you, just walk towards them and ask for food and water.) Reason instructed her with his classic no-nonsense attitude. 

 

But the moment she heard what was she expected to do  (AREYOUREALLYUSINGMEASBAIT) she spat with judging eyes. Her thoughts were all over the place and even the thoughts she conveyed were hard to read. 

 

(Not as bait, but as an interpreter.) Reason answered without reservation before I got irritated even more. (I can hear them but I can’t understand, however, you can if you are close enough to hear. They are not talking discreetly so it should be easy. Just walk towards one of the rocks and you will not be seen from the campsite. But in case you would be seen just walk towards them and ask for food and water.) he assured her. 

 

It was still too hard to transmit long messages like this and the anxiety of the woman was not helping with my headache.  Interestingly, Passion didn't make any remarks during the conversation but studied her closely. First, her anger turned to apprehension then it turned to anxiety again. 

 

I had absolutely no reservations to use her as bait if needed. Even if she didn't understand what to do it was still too easy to use her as long as the bond remain, but now was not the time.

 

Sooner or later I had to test her reliability and this one would be the first time before I decide what to do with her. Being used as bait would just be one of the many tests she has to take in the future, only if I decide to let her live through this day of course.

 

(Here. Take this.) Passion said and I took off my coat, charged the sigil on its back, and prepared the correct mental image. ‘[Lu’bet]’

 

He activated the sigil without a word and I put the coat on her shoulders. 'Now that is interesting. Only then did she look convinced?' She wrapped the stilettos, one into her right sleeve, and the other, interior of her left tight, then slowly started to sneak towards the opening using the rocks as cover. With this, both the distraction and the insurance were ready. 

 

‘You are really paranoid, you know that, right?’ Passion asked but neither I nor Reason did answer. 

 

The distance was not too far and only after a few breaths of time, she was already close enough to hear them. She sent a mental nod and started to inform me while I started to approach from the opposite side of the camp. 

 

According to the woman, there were two men, probably the lookouts of the dumruls. They were cheering their comrades down the road and discussing the share they are going to get from the loot.

 

I have counted at least eight figures on the road previously and there were definitely more of them inside of the woods on both sides of the road. However, they were lengths away and those two were alone as much as I know. Moreover, I needed many things if I was going to survive, and looting some criminals was one of the best things I could do right now.

 

‘Maybe I am just trying to justify the need to vent.’ I thought with a sigh.  Sure I had absolutely no idea what they did to the family of five and I had no desire to avenge them while venting a little bit. They were not my people. Why should I care?

 

Just as I was ready to take action unusually silent Passion started his nonsense again. 

 

‘Yes, yes. They are not our people. Clear conscience, right? It is absolutely not about all of the anxiety, and it is absolutely not related to the smell of the hot food coming from their camp. I am hungry too so let’s do this already. I will play the hero so that you can play the cold-blooded murderer. Now, cover your face.’

 

‘Obviously, this one is not directed at me.’ I thought.

 

Indeed, as soon as Passion finished his rambling ‘No need.’ Reason answered which made Passion genuinely surprised and continued. ‘Total wipe, silent and quick. Take no prisoners. Leave no witnesses.’ 

 

‘Oh… I didn’t see it coming. So we will go all out from the start? It's not your style. What happened?’ he asked curiously. 

 

‘You said yourself.’ Reason sighed internally. This one was definitely going somewhere nasty. ‘These are not our people so there is no need for sympathy. Even if they were not criminals we shouldn’t leave any witnesses or people with grudges.’

 

‘If you say so…’ Passion readily accepted, only to drop the bomb a moment later. ‘But is he really ready to lose his virginity to bandits on a remote hillside at God knows where?’

 

Now, this would have made me furious, especially at a moment like this. Except, Reason was not one to get furious. ‘You seem to not remember so I will help you. You have already spilled the first blood yesterday, and accidentally at that. Remember the guy you blew up with a warning fire? The Ponytail?’ he quipped sarcastically. 

 

But interestingly Passion was not picking a fight. ‘Killing with a trigger doesn’t count.’ he responded calmly. ‘It is just too remote to feel anything and we have not seen the corpse. You know the regulations. In the absence of a recovered body…’

 

‘So that was all about it.’ It suddenly dawned on me. He was just doing his job, accounting for my psychological well-being,  only in the worst possible moment and in an extremely unjustifiable and sarcastic way. Thankfully, faster than thought communication was... Well, it was faster than thought obviously thus no time was wasted on this little quarrel.

 

Of course, what I realized didn't elude Reason too. ‘Ok! Enough!’ he put a stop to the argument. ‘You are the last person that can lecture me about regulations and I don't want to discuss moral dilemmas right now.’ he chastised Passion. ‘This was going to happen sooner or later anyway and I honestly prefer it to be bandits rather than civilians or well-trained soldiers. He -I- will obviously be less conscious that way.’

 

‘You, me, he? All over again.’ I sighed. Thankfully, Passion didn't escalate the situation and let it there however his priorities felt like were a little bit off. 

 

‘Ok! Let’s do this and then eat their food.’

 

'Priorities, priorities... I am not myself when I am hungry.'

 

I started to walk towards the campsite, from the opposite side of the woman. While walking, I informed her to stay alert and sneaked while grabbing two daggers, one with my left hand and the other with my right.

 

‘How are we doing this?’ Passion asked when we were close enough. 

 

‘Observe, distract, suppress, and move in.’ Reason answered. 

 

While Reason was summarizing the standard mode of action, I was already preparing another mental image and started to inject power into the daggers to cast my will.

 

This part was relatively easy but everything depended on my aim, which should absolutely be disastrous considering that I am going to use weapons that I am not accustomed to.

 

Still, I closed the distance and prepared for the attack readying mental images for stun and shield to use if needed. Then I got the visuals and started to observe. 

 

There were two men, both sitting on logs against a campfire, cooking something that looks like stew and watching the scene below. Facing the road, their backs were against me and the woman. ‘Almost too easy to believe.’

 

The whole observation and deduction lasted less than a heartbeat and Reason has already given the go. Thus, I remotely controlled my coat, and it started flying toward the men from the opposite side.

 

‘No problem with the coat.’ Passion pointed. Was he relieved though?

 

‘She is not idiot enough to hug or clutch it, not after this morning.’ Reason stated. The coat of the five really left a lasting psychological effect on her, just like it did on all the recruits. 

 

Then came the distraction.

 

When the men saw the miraculous flying coat, hurling itself towards them at full speed, they immediately stood up grabbing the handles of their weapons, short spears. There were short swords on their waists, but neither of them tried to draw just yet.

 

‘Armed but not armored. They may be authority wielders like the woman but it looks like they have no protective precautions prepared.’ Reson stated, not believing his own statement. Yes, it was really too easy to believe. 

 

‘You are overestimating everything. They are what they look like. Vagabonds with weapons.’ Passion offered the answer. Maybe I really had a tendency to overestimate encounters like this. What was the thing Usta Amra used to say? 

 

'Don't think, just do it. You are far better when not thinking anyway.' She really did a number on me, didn't she? Lovely arrogant chick!

 

As soon as they got distracted I left my cover and started to run towards the men while multi-casting stun on each of them. They heard the heavy thuds of my metal heels on the rock floor and took a peek at me. But it was too late, I was already in range.

 

“[Sersam]” I murmured while Reason also repeated the keyword that basically means stun in Imperial silently. ‘[Sersam]’  It was almost the epitome of keywords with the only flaw of being two syllables. 

 

As soon as I finished casting they got stunned without resistance. Not wasting any time, I throw one dagger at each one of them and raised my arms as if trying to grab the daggers in the air. They simply flew and stabbed themselves at my stunned victims.

 

Shnk! One! 

 

Shnk! Two!

Shnk! Three!

 

Two times on the right, one time on the left. 

 

While daggers left stabbed on the left side of their chests, one man laid two eighty while the other one collapsed on his knees, still unable to move. Reason kept our distance, contemplating while I was catching my coat, then a passing thought of Reason started the usual banter again. 

 

‘Are their hearts on the left or right of their chest? I should have already checked on the woman before. The physiology of a man and a woman can be different too. This kind of detail should not be ignored.’ 

 

Passion was right. Sometimes I really was thinking too much.

 

‘Just what is the possibility of it anyway? You are overthinking like always. No, I take it back. You are above overthinking at this point. This is a whole new level of obsession. Relax, they are dead already.’ He countered. Yeah, go for it, buddy.

 

‘You know the mutation frequency of an authority holder and you obviously know the procedure. Three on the chest. Two left, one right, and one last on the head to confirm the kill.’ Reason forced his way. Regulations... Nasty as always. 

 

‘Sorry, but am not stabbing their eyes with a dagger improvised from a kitchen knife. Just slit their throats, and do it yourself.’ Passion quipped and my headache was really unbearable at that point. The stain they put on me was worse than the bond itself at this point.

 

‘Although primitive, these are legitimate daggers but as you said, stabbing through the eye is too messy. A stab through the ear with a stiletto on the other hand would be convenient.’ Yeah, Sorry Reason but it is really a nasty business with these primitive tools. 'I missed my gun.' I thought.

 

Then Passion decided to show his mental age. ‘Nope, not doing! Do it yourself.’ Arguin was really pointless. Regardless of the winner, I was the one that is going to dirty his hands anyway.

 

Thus, I walked toward the men slowly while drawing another dagger and hanging the coat over my shoulder. I started to feed power through the dagger again with an appropriate mental image, just in case.

 

“[Lu’bet]”

 

First, I approached the one that was lying on the ground with small steps to finish the job. However, right at that moment, I heard a shuffling voice from my side.

 

Immediately throwing the dagger in that direction without thinking, I took a fighting stance again. Less than a moment later, realizing my mistake only after the dagger left my hand, I immediately raised my right and made a grappling motion to stop it in midair, just in front of the woman's left eye.

 

'So much for bad aim, ha?' mused Passion while I was sweating coldly. 'Damn, that was close! Talk about being on the edge...'

 

I knew there was no one in the vicinity but still reacted without thinking, which almost cost the woman her life. She was holding a stiletto in her left hand and standing like a stunned deer just like the men on the ground after my will to stun hit them. Her eyes were wide open staring at the tip of the dagger.

 

‘It is her fault. We never said her to follow or fight. She said that she doesn’t want to be the bait. So she should have waited.’ blamed Passion immediately. 'Yeah, blame the nearest woman buddy, a perfect character trait.' I thought involuntarily. I was really the perfect husband material. 

 

Honestly, I didn't tell the woman what to do after she had spied on the men but in my defense, I really didn't think that she would throw herself like that with a dagger in her hand. 

 

‘She must have followed after the coat.’ speculated Reason in response. ‘Still, the bond is active, we must have felt her. I must be too distracted to notice.’  he added.

 

I really must be too distracted after all but is still want a proper excuse. 'Damn headache!'

 

‘Yes. It is your fault. Passion immediately seized the opportunity. 'Not mine, not her, and definitely not him. Your fault. You are the Reason after all.’

 

My heart was pounding like a giant drum, not because of the explosive effort I have spent in a short time, but because of the last-minute scare. The woman was sweating like a pig, still stiff due to the dagger right in front of her eye. 

 

I slowly opened my closed fist back and the dagger returned to my hand. I was still a little bit absent-minded when she finally threw herself on her butt and started to breathe again. All the action, from start to end lasted less than three breaths of time and it was really…

 

‘Anticlimactic isn’t it?’ completed Passion and pinned. ‘I always thought our first time would be a big deal. Especially when I think about you.’ 

 

I think was slowly getting tired of the constant mocking of the scamp. I mean, he was young and all that but it was really starting to get irritating.

 

‘Well, it was an ambush. They were careless and paid for it.’ Reason tried to reason like always.

 

‘Still… Even our reaction is anticlimactic. I thought he would feel stunned, lost, and tainted. Thought you would feel and hoped that I would feel ecstatic but this… No feeling at all. I think I am a little bit disappointed.’

 

Now that I think about it, Passion has a point and is not just about the killing part. All my response of this getting lost in God knows where without signal thing was… Muted somehow? Even now, on high ground with no obstacles to the horizon, there was no signal. Shouldn’t I have been… I don't know. Panicked?

 

‘We were ready. I made sure of it. That’s what you see right now. Preparation till made it a habit.’ answered Reason. Well maybe, maybe not…

 

Thus, ‘How can you prepare someone for his first kill?’ Passion expressed, maybe my own doubts this time.

 

‘Oh, you have absolutely no idea.’ answered Reason with absolute confidence. I think that was the reason. Confidence, and maybe… Not being alone? Even though all I do is talk in my head which is definitely not healthy it was better than being completely alone. 

 

‘Well, whatever. Congratulations on our first kill, a double kill even.’ Passion distracted me again. ‘Not a virgin anymore. We made it to the nationals at last.’

 

Nationals? Really? I didn't hear that joke since middle school. Thank God no one is here to listen to my new subconsciousness or I would be excommunicated. It was a part of my own consciousness after all. 

 

‘Enough bickering.’ cut Reason my self-pity session short. ‘We have work to do.’

 

Thus, after a few breaths to control my pace, I instructed the woman to make sure the dumruls are dead and strip them to their underwear. Then I started to search the area and get ready for more dumruls. 

 

The day was bleeding, the night was long and there was still too much to do after all.