The five walked down the road, now without provisions and with a much more subdued mood. Jesse contemplated how this world seemed so cruel but reminded himself of what people had done on his. To his. There wasn’t much left of humanity there aside from the small pockets. Perhaps people have always been bad.

  After a moment he reprimanded himself for thinking that. There will always be those that exploit but there are good ones too. Rebecca, Nira, Tormund, Kara, they were all examples of good. Myra could have taken advantage of him and stolen the coin, she hadn’t. He needed to preserve whatever good he could find.

  Then there were the monsters. The Archon. The bandits. These people who seemed to have left their humanity behind. Surely they could still find a kind of redemption though, couldn’t they? If they wanted to? Part of him doubted it.

  “There are multiple people ahead. They appear to be hiding in the foliage around the road.” Golem said in Jesse’s mind.

  “Listen but don’t stop.” Jesse whispered to his companions. “I think the bandits, or at least some of them, are up ahead. They are hiding in those bushes.”

  “Let’s get them!” Nira said with a wicked grin.

  “What should we do?” Tormund asked.

  Myra just grunted. She had been subdued since they rescued those people. She had a look of contemplation on her weathered face.

  “We let them try to attack us and we subdue them. Maybe figure out where their camp is.” Jesse suggested.

  “By subdue you mean kill right?” Nira asked.

  Jesse hesitated, what did he mean? With a sigh he said “No. We should tie them up and leave them for the soldiers that are chasing us. Assuming the Necrecent don’t slaughter innocents?”

  “They will only kill ones who have unlocked the use of essence, unless attacked at least.” Tormund said. “But I agree with Nira. Let’s just kill the bandits and be done with it.”

  “I don’t want to become a monster like them. People are too eager to throw the lives of others away. Things are rarely so black and white. I’m angry too. I want them to suffer too. But I don’t want to lose myself.” Jesse said. He could feel himself slipping. He couldn’t change from the person his family knew him as. He had to be strong for them. He had to remain human for them.

  The two other humans looked at him doubtfully but said nothing. Myra didn’t appear to really be listening to the conversation. Jesse retrieved the pipe gun from the bag and strapped it along his back underneath the shield. He then continued walking as if he didn’t know the bandits were lurking. As the four plus Aegis walked on the road, Aegis turned towards the woods. Of course she couldn’t understand the plan.

  “They are drawing their bows.” Golem said in Jesse’s mind.

  “Now!” He yelled, unslinging his shield and fumbling with the crystal to try to turn it on. Nira disappeared to the right side of the road in a blink and Tormund's hands crackled. Aegis started to run forward on the left side of the road but the twang of the bows interrupted her. Time seemed to move slow as the arrows shot towards Tormund. He should have ordered them to flank these bandits and attack from behind, but they knew they were there. Jesse thought they could be faster and now Tormund would pay the price of his miscalculation.

  Aegis barked. The sound blasted through the forest and the arrows were blown out of the sky by the visible shockwave emanating from her mouth. Jesse stared at her in disbelief. They knew about the ability, had blown trees apart with it. He just dint expect her to use it so effectively. Aegis turned and disappeared in a blink into the woods. Screams followed. On the other side of the road screams also echoed. A moment later Aegis came back out, blood on her mouth. Jesse could hear crying coming from behind her. Nira came out dragging two men.

  “None are dead, though the ones that Aegis attacked will be if they are not treated.” Golem said in Jesse’s mind. He sighed.

  The men that Nira dragged were scrawny, dirty looking creatures. Each sported a broken arm. They writhed in agony.

  “Let’s question them.” Nira said with a frown.

  “Tormund, go bind the wounds of the men over there. I don’t want them bleeding out.” Jesse said.

  Tormund walked off without arguing but he did sport a scowl. It seemed neither agreed that these men should be spared. Nira dropped the men in front of Jesse.

  “Were you the ones that attacked that village up the road?” He asked them.

  “We don’t know nothing.” One of the men spat. Nira stepped on his broken arm and he screamed and squirmed. Jesse was about to tell her to stop, he definitely wasn’t okay with torture. How could this upbeat girl be so casual about these war crimes? Before he could speak the words the man spoke again, frantic. “Okay fine! Not us, but our group.”

  “Where are they now?” Nira asked with a growl.

  “Our camp, it’s to the north. Please don’t kill us.” The other man wept. Jesse tied both their arms and legs. He asked Myra to write a little note explaining their crimes. Hopefully this would also delay the soldiers who are chasing them.

  “They are just going to kill them you know.” Nira said.

  “That will be their choice.” Jesse said. “We’ve made ours.”

  “Are we going to go after them?” Tormund asked.

  “Of course we are!” Nira said, a dangerous gleam in her eyes.

  Jesse hesitated. He didn’t want to delay finding Rebecca but could he leave the surrounding lands to suffer when the “king” wasn’t doing anything to help them? Still it was a needless risk. Before he could speak, Myra finally did for the first time since leaving the burning buildings.

  “We have to go after them.” She said, voice resolute.

  “Fine.” Jesse said with a sigh. He clenched his jaw. There was no way everyone was walking away from this alive. Hopefully it would be the bandits who paid that price, no matter how uneasy it made him feel.

  The five, counting Aegis, walked north into the woods. They walked in silence to not give away their approach.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  Myra sported a large sledgehammer that looked to be designed as a tool and not for war. It would still be devastatingly effective. She had pulled it from her massive supply pack that she had hidden in th woods not far away. Nira bore no weapons, she wore daggers at her waist but do not draw them. Tormund was a force of nature himself and needed nothing. Jesse readied his new equipment.

  Finally Golem said into Jesse’s mind, “There are two guards in trees up ahead. The camp lies behind them. It is constructed of simple wooden structures and tents. There are approximately 15 men there, most are asleep. One is a verescent and one is an acanescent. Both of quite some power.”

  “Because they keep killing people. Stealing their essence.” Jesse said aloud. The other two looked at him. He relayed what Golem told him.

  “I’ll take care of the two in the trees. They won’t see me coming.” Nira said.

  “Tormund, can you make their fire explode like you did the night we met? That’s pretty disorienting.” Jesse asked.

  “Can do.” He said.

  “Myra and I will cover you from anyone who approaches and you throw essence around. Aegis will too.” He unslung his shield and took out his club. Electricity crackled along its surface. The shield let off a soft hum and vibrated slightly. He turned both on. “Let’s do this.”

  Nira slunk off and the other three moved forward quietly. After a moment they heard a soft thud. A few moments later a second. Excellent. They could hear the whispers of conversation from those who stayed up late around the fire. “Now.” Jesse whispered.

  The fire ahead erupted into an explosion of flying smoldering debris. The bandits screamed and frantically fled the quickly expanding flame. Some were knocked back by the blast. Those that slept woke up disoriented. Now was the time to strike. Jesse ran forward, flanked by Tormund, Myra, and Aegis. Jesse had never been a fighter. He didn’t have any combat training or skills. What he did have was a magitech bat and shield and the element of surprise.

  He slowly approached and swung for the first bandit in his path, electricity coursed across the man’s body and he slumped. He maintained his charge toward another bandit. He swung and that one dropped too, convulsing. A third, being quick on his feet, swung for Jesse with a curved sword. He had seen this coming, noticing the reaction before he neared the man. He managed to bring his shield up in time, just barely. When the blade struck the shield it bounced off with tremendous force, flying from the man’s hand. A split second later a shockwave reverberated from where the blade had struck, sending the bandit flying.

  Jesse slowed his charge. He saw to his side Tormund was sending jolts of electricity into a group of four bandits. Myra was to his right and had just slammed her hammer into the chest of another. No way he survived that. Jesse thought. He felt… oddly calm. This battle was horrible. It was bloody and chaotic. Yet Jesse felt nothing. The thought terrified him.

  This momentary distraction let a bandit close in and swing for Jesse’s back. The bandit was sent flying by a bark of Aegis’s. This snapped Jesse back into focus. Aegis quickly tore into another nearby bandit, the man screamed as she ripped the leg from his body.

  Jesse could see Nira dashing between bandits landing blows with her fists or feet. She moved almost too fast to track with her virescent abilities. Each one of her blows would throw a bandit into the surrounding camp furniture, gear, or even their friends. They usually groaned and stirred, but some laid unmoving.

  Bandits flew or fell all around, Jesse and his friends were making short work of them. Is this what power was in this new world? He watched it, stunned. This was too easy.

  “Look out Jesse.” Golem said to him mentally. It was too late.

  Jesse felt a warmth on his lower back, just to the side of his spine. He slowly looked down and saw a blade protruding from his stomach. An utterly massive blade. That was odd. He hadn’t donned his chainmail. It was heavy and the group feared it giving them away in their approach. That had been a mistake.

  The blade ripped free, his thoughts racing as he watched it slowly disappear into his body once more, pulling out the back. Jesse fell to his knees. Behind him Aegis yelped and turned, feeling Jesse’s pain. She lunged for the attacker but he moved so fast. Jesse’s vision slowed oddly for a moment. The man went from moving lightning fast to running at a relatively normal speed. Tormund ran to Jesse’s side in slow motion. The world spun. He was talking wasn’t he? What was that glow behind him? Wait, wasn’t there an acanescent too?

  Jesse jumped forward, blood still pouring from the hole in his gut and back. He managed to bring up his shield just in time to catch a bolt of energy that had been directed at Tormund. It sizzled when it hit the shield but the impact didn’t have much force behind it.

  Jesse’s world returned to normal speed. Tormund spun, swearing. He shot a bolt of fire at his attacker, who sidestepped it. In a blur a bandit with a huge sword appeared in front of them. The tip was covered in blood. Jesse’s blood.

  Jesse fell back down on one knee. Where was his club? Tormund yelled and raised his hands to cast a spell, much too slow. Jesse watched the sword wielding verescent approach them but could do nothing to stop it, the man was simply too fast. He was standing in front of them, weapon raised. He smiled down at them. In an instant he was sent flying from a kick square in th chest by Nira. She winked at them and chased after the man, a dagger appearing in her hand.

  Jesse didn’t linger on the fact that she was likely done with the nonlethal approach. Jesse turned his attention back to the fight between Tormund and the opposing arcanescent. The two shot bolts of energy back and forth. A green bolt came close to hitting Tormund, who raised an earthen shield at the last moment. He kicked the raised stone wall, which sent the shield flying at his adversary who splashed it with a yellow concoction that melted it.

  Behind Jesse, Aegis battled the remaining bandits. She leapt between them, biting at legs and ankles. She moved faster than a normal dog but nowhere near the speed of the verescents who battled nearby, destroying the camp in a flurry of blows that would break any ordinary human.

  Jesse looked down at his gut. Blood poured from the wound. He was dying. “Golem, report.”

  “Your intestines have been punctured. Many blood vessels have been severed. If you do not absorb essence soon I am afraid you will perish.” The AI said. Yeah that’s what he thought. His muscles weren’t responding quite right on his lower half. He tried to stand but couldn’t.

  Ahead Tormund was splashed by some green slime that the other arcanescent flung. He screamed and his flesh began to sizzle and bubble up. He threw off his robes and frantically tried to brush it off his arm with the fabric. Behind him the bandit arcanescent prepared another spell, his hands glowing green.

  Suddenly Myra came from nowhere and slammed her hammer into th arcanescents arm. The bone shattered and the man screamed. She had a look of utter fury on her face. She screamed something at him and swung again, barely missing and the man stepped backwards.

  That’s when Jesse saw it. He had missed it before in the chaos of the battle. The man had a distinct scar over one eye, the eye remained but was grey and lifeless. This was the bandit that had killed her husband.

  Jesse’s attention snapped back to the pair as she swung again at the man, catching him in the knee. He collapsed and screamed in pain. She returned his scream with one of her own and tried to bring down her hammer but was shoved away by another nearby bandit. That bandit promptly took a bolt of fire to the face as Tormund covered Myra’s fight.

  When Jesse's line of sight cleared he saw it. The arcanescent, the murderers, hand glowed green and he raised it towards the once again charging Myra. She was going to be too late. Jesse’s vision began to darken from the blood loss. His head spun.

  “Remember the pipe gun.” Golem rang in his mind.

  The world slowed strangely once more. Jesse slung the untested weapon from his back and pulled the trigger in one swift motion. He expected a kick of some sort but there was none. Immediately from the end of the barrel a beam of light shot out. It struck the arcanescent, who sat facing Myra with glowing hand outstretched, square in the center of his chest. The bolt of energy emitted from th gun didn’t stop. It went straight through the man and into the arm of a bandit behind him. It ended up dissipating some 100 feet away, after making contact, and boring through, several trees. The weapon stopped and slipped from Jesse’s blood soaked fingers.

  Jesse stared at the arcanescent. The scarred man looked down at the dinner plate sized hole in his chest, disbelief flashing in his eyes. The man looked up towards Jesse and fell forward. The glow of essence in own hand dissipating and with it, his life.

  Jesse had killed someone.