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Leo wasn’t naive enough to be unaware as to what these men were. Their whispering quieted as they approached, as they tried their best not to have any sound betray their presence. Their lightweight armor was made of dark dyed leather, without the ability to see in the dark, they would be near impossible to spot. The only sign of them was the slight reflection of the dim moonlight.

Leo figured that they likely caught sight of him and Marem earlier on, and waited until nightfall to attack. He didn’t want to alert Marem of the danger, hoping to allow her some more rest. Even if he was positive that he didn’t need her assistance to handle a few thieves, he still wasn’t sure how to handle them.

Leo didn’t have hesitation when he fought the rotted Orcs, nor did he slow his fighting against the sand beasts, but this felt different to him. It was different this time. They were human. There was a level of space when fighting some monster, but these were humans just like him. The thought of killing them, even if they started it, just felt wrong to him.

Of course, as he looked at their drawn blades, he knew they didn’t feel the same way. If he allowed himself to hesitate, he could put himself and Marem in danger. Well, he could put Marem in danger. If he was alone, he could have simply ignored them, no matter what they tried, but he was with Marem this time.

Leo knew from their approach that they didn’t see him, as he camouflaged against the tent. His lack of weapons or armor played in his favor, as they seemed to only spot the rough shape of the tent. With the element of surprise, he had more options available to him.

Though as they approached, Leo knew he needed to make a decision quickly. He quickly stood up, lunging in between the group of assailants until he was so close that he was impossible to ignore. Though to guarantee they saw him as more than a shadow, once in between them, he cleared his throat.

The five men were shocked at the sudden appearance, but moved quickly. They had their weapons raised at Leo, seemingly waiting for provocation to start their attack. Leo didn’t budge, standing still as their eyes focused on him. The largest of the group spoke up, his voice a harsh whisper.

“If you value your life, drop your valuables and surrender,” he demanded.

“If you value yours, drop your swords and run,” responded Leo.

He saw the rage boil over in the man’s face, furious that someone surrounded and unarmed would dare talk back to him. Leo had hoped to bait him into an attack, and as he saw the man pull his sword back, he knew his plan succeeded.

The sword struck into Leo’s neck, the impact driven by every ounce of strength the man could muster. He had hoped to end Leo quickly and quietly, but the shattering of his blade ruined any hope of that. Though hearing the attack made, the other bandits moved into action.

They swung fervently, each one attempting to cut down the man between them, but as Leo took the barrage of blows, he let out not one cry of pain or injury. The only noise was their labored breath and shattered weapons.

When the attacks stopped, Leo saw each of their faces contort into a horrified realization. They were now unarmed, tired, and the one man they attacked was no worse for wear. Leo slowly extended his hand outwards, grabbing onto the shoulder of the largest man. As he made contact, he saw every drop of color fade from his face, expecting a brutal death to befall him.

“You have failed. I will show you mercy. Run as fast as your legs can carry you— for as long as your lungs can hold air. If I catch up to any one of you, I promise that I will not be as merciful,” threatened Leo.

He released the man from his grasp, as he felt not a single member of the thieves do so much as breathe. Then at once, they turned and began running as fast as they could, ignoring their fatigued condition. He saw them frantically running, launching sand behind them as they pushed aside their own allies to gain more distance.

Though another set of clothes were ruined, Leo was happy to have scared off the threat. He headed back to their makeshift camp and circled around to see if there were any others nearby. He spotted no signs of remaining danger nor any stolen property, though there wasn’t much to steal in the first place.

Leo changed into less tattered clothing, shrinking his wardrobe once more. He sat back down outside the tent, feeling satisfied with having scared off the bandits. Though as he sat, he made sure to keep his guard up incase of their return.

He sat within the open elements, waiting for the sun to rise once more. When daybreak came, Leo felt how quickly the cool night turned into a burning day. He packed up the bed roll left out and prepared himself for the journey as Marem awoke. The two put away the tent, and began preparing their breakfast for the morning.

Leo offered Marem a trade, a salad for rations. She seemed a bit hesitant, but ultimately accepted. He enjoyed the rations, which contained some type of marinated meat accompanied with potatoes. He hadn’t had much meat since his arrival, and savored it every time he could. Marem enjoyed the salad, even if she had never met Koram, she could tell his cooking was divine.

After breakfast, the two carried on with their walk. Leo asked about how she had slept, and he was relieved to hear it described as uneventful. He decided to keep the thieves a secret, as he didn’t want to distress her over something so trivial. She had been through a lot, and he knew that there wouldn’t be any good in worrying over some bandits.