nagpurpolice Chapter 44: The Aftermath: Now Addition-Free!
Chapter 44: The Aftermath: Now Addition-Free!
Chapter 44: The Aftermath: Now Addition-Free!
Level Up!
Skill Points 404417
Progress to Tier 2: 635/1590
Alchemy Level 4651
Athletics Level 3033
Firestarting Level 3738
First Aid Level 2628
Flexibility Level 2730
Outsiders Almanac Level 7778
Packing Level 1718
Congratulations! For slaying a foe stronger than you, you have unlocked the Giant Slayer path!
Congratulations! For successfully defeating the bandits led by the Catabolic Alchemist, you have unlocked the Superior Alchemist path!
Congratulations! For ousting its previous inhabitants, you have unlocked the Master of the Ruined Tower path!
Edwin unsteadily rose to his feet from his slumped position, his tasks running through his mind. Okay, he needed to cut down Minsix, check up on Niall, and chain them all up to somewhere they couldnt get away from. Then, he needed to somehow get the si- four of them to whatever that town was, about a days walk from here. He doubted theyd go willingly, so hed probably have to drag them along and it would be a whole hassle hed deal with that later. For now, hed just gather them all up and figure out how to keep them from running away while he slept.
Minsix was firmly unconscious, hanging limply from one leg, but he was alive, and Edwin, after a brief attempt to haul the man back up to the balcony, just cut the line and let him fall the last little bit onto the mounds of ivy coating the hill. Once on the ground, the man lay limp and unmoving, and it was only Edwins supernatural vision which allowed him to see the mans chest slowly rise and fall to reassure him that he hadnt killed him in the fall.
Getting down the tower was a challenge Edwin hadnt entirely anticipated. His defeat of Minfive and Minseven had left some three steps missing from near the top of the final landing, and Edwin now trusted the strength of the surviving stairs even less. Still, he was able to just drop down from the hole in the floor onto the steps to bypass the problem altogether, though how would his prisoners do it, or would he have to carry them down? Ugh. There were so many logistical problems involved with taking prisoners. Theyd just be executed anyway, he was sure. But he didnt want to be the one who actually wielded the executioners axe. Was he being silly, and should he just grit his teeth and kill them anyway? Probably. But he resisted the part of himself that advocated for him to just kill them all. He took most of them alive for a reason, after all. That wasnt how he wanted to be.
Edwin knelt by Minsixs thoroughly unconscious body, looking at how flush the bandits face was after hanging upside down for ten minutes? Not very long, at least, though he didnt know how long exactly. He removed the shackle from around the mans ankle, switching the manacle to his wrists. With a heave, he picked up the really heavy minion, straining not quite as much as he had anticipated-
Level Up!
Skill Points 417418
Progress to Tier 2: 636/1590
Packing Level 1819
-Ah, that made sense. Still, hauling Minsix wasnt easy, magical enhancements or no, but he accomplished it. He dropped the limp body near the center of the first floor, fastening the chain so he was wrapped around a support post, then, as a last bit of extra precaution, bound the mans ankles in several coils of rope as well.
Before Edwin returned upstairs, a thought struck him, and he gathered up all the weapons from where they were stashed near the door, dumped them outside, and set them on fire. He couldnt use them, and it didnt make sense to leave the clubs (why did they all use clubs? Ah, wait, it probably had something to do with trying to not make their victims bleed too much, didnt it?) in a usable state.
Level Up!
Skill Points 418420
Progress to Tier 2: 637/1590
The bandits had been surprisingly docile. They hadnt offered much in the way of resistance as he unblocked their room or encouraged them to go down the stairs (the minions were tall enough to just step over the gap, and Niall was able to as well, with enough straining). The gleaming knife he held (Turns out steel glowed slightly when you dumped enough mana into it- it took a lot of mana, though. It felt as though his mana had run a marathon by the time he was done) probably factored into it, all told. Minsix was more hostile at first, but after Edwin started waving around his magical dagger, quieted down.
Huh. Magic weapons were apparently a very effective intimidation tactic. Good to know. Did it bypass their Skill defenses or something, maybe? Worth a test in the future. He wasnt sure how effectively he would be able to use Mana Infusion on his weapons, but if he could manage it.
Anyway, Edwin chained his prisoners together, putting Niall at the front, attaching him and his personal manacles to Minsix, who was in turn attached to Minfour, and finally to Mintwo. That way, if any of the minions tried something, theyd be wrenching on Minfours broken arm. Cruel? Maybe a little bit. But it was effective, and that was what he cared about.
Throughout the entire scenario, they had all been quiet (not counting Minsix, who started off shouting), giving little more than vague grunts even as Edwin got them to cooperate. Hed even had to decline the Intimidation skill when it was offered up again. Niall, of all of them, was the first to break their silence, when Edwin carried Minfive and Minsevens body into the tower.
Wha Wha are you doing? he asked.
Im giving them, and all of your other victims, a pyre. Edwin replied, straining under the weight of the body, Its the least I can do.
A pyre? Niall seemed confused for a moment before understanding flashed across his face, No! You cant! This tower has stood for-
Edwin cut him off, Im not letting it stay here for more bandits to move in and kill other people. If anyone cared about it, they would have driven you out.
Niall seemed quite distraught at the sight, even more than he had been regarding the death of his men. Odd, but okay, No! If you burn it, then- he cut himself off.
Then what?
Youll set the grasslands on fire! Niall hastily lied.
Tell the truth, Edwin took a page out of Taras book and held his shining dagger very, very close to the bandits throat, watching as the mans Adams apple bobbed nervously, Ill know if you lie.
Niall cast his gaze down, Youll destroy all of my findings. All my research, gone forever.
Edwin cocked an eyebrow at the alchemist, Really? You dont have that much longer to worry about it, by your reckoning.
Well, yes, but he shook his head, Another might find i one day.
Not much of a concern for you, is it? You wouldnt know one way or the other.
Well, the System- Niall started, but Edwin walked inside, cutting his complaint short.
At the center of it all, he dropped the second corpse next to the first. Around them, he piled the last of the cast-off cloth.
Summoning the last bit of his magical strength, Edwin Infused his skill as much as it would take, laid his hand against the wooden support in the middle of the building, and pushed.
Firestarting.
It was a lovely fire. The flames, visible only through the occasional gaps in the masonry, roared through the wooden supports. Edwin originally planned to stay around until he was sure that the the entire building was gone, but a notification popped up, informing him that wasnt required. So, he corralled his prisoners and started leading them to the road. Behind him, the flames broke through to the roof, and looking in the right direction showed tongues of fire erupting from the top of the giant stone tower, like a massive, ivy-covered candle.
Level Up!
Firestarting Level 3941
Mana Infusion Level 6263
Congratulations! For destroying the Ruined Tower, you have unlocked the Razer of the Ruined Tower path!
Congratulations! For willfully burning down a stable structure, you have unlocked the Arsonist path!