With the winter snow lightly falling, the crunch of the snow felt almost deafening in the quiet untouched wilderness. Lee was approaching the Bandit Camp, the stories he was hearing was leaving him angry to say the least.
"They are taking what they want from everyone." One man said when Lee had begun asking around about the camp itself. "It's like we are their playthings. We can't say no or else they will beat us." Another person had confided in him about it. The particular underlying tone was where Lee had drawn the line. Without rational thought, Lee had stormed through the snow.
It was a 45 minute walk, maybe a little longer, Lee wasn't able to properly tell. Approaching a large makeshift camp, walls made from fallen trees nearby. He made his way around the wall towards the gate. Lee was going to attempt to break it open, but pushing it revealed it was unlocked.
Entering into the camp, it seemed almost dead. The soft snoring of bandits nearby, he saw in the distance some men around a campfire playing cards and drinking. They hadn't even noticed him, complacent, lazy, and even cocky. Tightening up his cloak he turned and shoved his blade into the snowy dirt under him. He had no intention of making this quick.
"Hey," Lee shouted. Heads snapping around, they began to stand up. "Hey, Who are you! Wake up guys!" A voice boomed shouting, he had a slur to his voice but managed to hide it decently. He was drunk, but not incapable just yet. Slowly bandits began to wake up and stand up around him. Their eyes locked in on lee, who unsnipped his cloak and tossed it behind him. Was it luck or pure skill that it landed on the hilt of his blade. It was definitely Luck.
"I heard you guys take what you want, from men AND women." Lee said with a grit of his teeth, he squeezed his knuckles with a cracking noise to them. The bandits began surrounding him, he scanned the crowd seeing the names above the head. All of them were grey, indicating they were all lower level then him. Except one, a green hue was coming above someone in the crowd, the name 'Bandit Leader Galen Marr.'
Lee let him stay hidden, he wanted the leader to see what was gonna happen. A bandit stepped up, "Yeah, what do you care boy. I'll take whatever I want-" The sound of a crunch echoed through the bandit camp. Lee's left arm was up to his own face, and his right arm extended. He was like a boxer who threw a punch, the bandits body was bent backwards. It had been pushed by Lee's fist. Blood and teeth poured onto the ground as the bandit collapsed.
"One." Lee stated, 'System, change filter setting. Hostile, aggressive, angry.' The names of the men around him began fading until 10 were left. This included the boss. Standing up straight he looked around, 'System. Number of humans around me?' A white number appeared, '20' this left Lee with knowing half these men were not hostile even if they were in the bandit camp.
Just as he expected, the 9 men whose names had still shown all rushed him. They used their blades and whatever they had to their advantage too. Lee ducked, his foot coming up and slamming into one's gut causing him to vomit and slam into the ground.
Spinning around he brought the same foot down on the third one's head cracking the skull from his heel.
Lifting up his fists he Right hooked the fourth bandit, left hooked the fifth bandit, Spartan kicked the sixth bandit, Lept up and Superman punched the seventh bandit.
The eighth bandit grabbed his arm from the back, the ninth bandit charged him but with a quick flick bending his body forward he threw the bandit over his head and slammed him into the ninth bandit.
Standing up straight he looked at the men around him. Typically they wouldn't be left so worse for wear by simple hits, but Lee had his strength high enough where one punch was heavy enough to do serious damage at their level.
The 10 remaining bandits shook, their fists trembling as they were raised to try and fight Lee. None of them approached though, Lee took a step and they shuffled backwards. Except for Galen who pushed the crowd open angrily, "Is that all you fools have!" He screamed leaving the crowd.
Galen Marr, he was tall, wiry, and while he wasn't bulky he seemed dangerous. He had dark brown hair, his eyes were wide and looked a little like he had taken a substance. He cracked his knuckles revealing a scar across them.
"How many women," Lee asked, stretching his fingers.
"Do you know who I am, boy? I'm the Law around here, you don't walk into Marr's camp and expect to walk out alive."
"How-Many." Lee said, gritting his teeth. Marr smirked as he approached Lee, they were about the same height. "I lost count after 15-"
The wind whistled, some trees rustled, the snow had seemed to stop falling. When the world goes quiet, it's a surprise what you notice. The lack of emotion in one's eyes, the way the mouth keeps trying to move. The sudden clashing of men as they fell backwards in fear, and the sound of the dripping liquid off the end of Lee's blade as he held it full extension to the side of his body.
Marr's body slumped into the snow, and his head left a trail as it rolled away. Lee flicked his wrist, the sword flicking the remnants into the snow. He made eye contact with the group of remaining bandits, 'System. Filter, fearful, innocent.' The names appeared on the remaining group.
"You guys want to make amends?"
They were quiet, slowly one of them finally nodded. "Yes, most of us joined from fear, not from pleasure." Slowly they all began nodding, standing there quietly for a few minutes Lee walked around the Bandits unconscious.
"Alright, first things first, tie them up. Then take everything of value to the village you have been robbing." Lee commanded, the group of men all glanced at each other before they took off quickly doing as commanded.
The bodies were dragged through the snow into piles and tied up, they were then tied together. Lee watched, carts were pulled out and began being filled with food, vegetables, seeds, water tanks, things that the village had lost in caravans being raided.
Lee lifted the bandits and began tossing them into one of the carts; they had slowly begun waking up at this point. Thankfully, the newly reformed men had taped the bandits' mouths shut to keep them quiet.
There were four carts total, three filled with supplies that could last the village almost a year or at least through winter. Then the fourth cart was the 9 tied up bandits and the corpse of their boss. Lee rode that one, it was in front of the caravan as well. The trip was only 5 minutes, it was quick and easy with the carts.
It was so fast, most of them had been waiting for Lee's return, that the village was surrounding the carts coming in. They saw the bandits, the corpse, but they saw the scared frantic men who were unloading the carts. The village was quiet, disbelief or mourning; it wasn't clear. Disbelief it was over, Mourning those that had already been lost or succumbed to the bandits actions.
Lee slowly climbed out of the cart and tossed the bandits to the ground. "Do what you will with them. They are your hostages now." Hand shakes, hugs, cries of joy, Lee felt the feeling of a hero way on him. However, he couldn't break a smile, his mind had been foggy since learning the actions of the leader. Not only that, but he had murdered a man.
The cold air felt heavier than before, he didn't smile at the village as they began chanting and cheering. Lee turned and looked at the 10 reformed men. "Want to be useful? Start walking, as of today you will make up for your crimes." Lee said, the men all looked at each other. They were quiet, uncertain.
On one end, they had no real knowledge if change was possible. The leader was once a man, who has sense been viewed as nothing more then a monster. As for the village, they were spitting and cursing, crying and screaming, not at just the tied up bandits; but at themselves as well. The noise all around them was so loud, the remaining men were not sure of what life they had to live, if any.
"Thank you." One of them finally said, collapsing down on one knee. "Thank you, we will not disappoint you sir. We will make up for our crimes, we will help bring peace back to the best we can!" He shouted, slowly the rest of the men collapsed to one knee in front of him.
Lee was quiet witnessing the actions before him, walking past them he began leaving the village. They stood and followed behind him, uncertain of where they were going to go. Lee didn't know what he would use them for, but he knew one thing for sure. The world was a lot darker than he thought it was when he was a nobody.