Leier looked down from atop the tree, her eye narrowing as she studied these intruders. There was something off about them and it wasn't only their shady appearance or their leering smiles. She hadn't sensed them approaching until they were already in the clearing. That alone made her alert.
She was a Third Stage warrior, nearing the threshold of the Fourth, and even from this distance, she could tell that most of the men below were at least in the Second Stage. Not enough to overpower her outright, but certainly enough to be dangerous.
They didn't seem like ordinary bandits. Their movements were too fluid, their spacing too calculated. They knew how to surround a target without making any sounds, like predators. Despite being absorbed in her thoughts Leier should have noticed it. As they approached, they were entering formation without needing to speak a word.
