6: Bandit Camp
"Hmm, so no judgment this time?" Mercer questioned himself as he proceeded to approach Grim's fresh corpse for him to hide away from the prying eyes of the other bandits around.
He expected the world to turn dark after the kill, like the one that happened with Emeric which resulted in a heart-to-heart chat with the Knight, a battle of conflicting emotions.
Or at the very least, a notification from the system that he executed his judgment at Grim.
But alas, none of the two occurred this time and Mercer could only wonder what were the conditions needed to repeat the supernatural phenomenon.
Perhaps it is only affected by Knights from the Order? Or maybe outstanding individuals that are akin to boss-type characters in a usual RPG setting?
To put it simply, the bandit Grim just does not matter in the grand scheme of things.
He immediately dismissed such thoughts since he can ponder them later when he is in a safe circumstance. There is still the matter of concern relating to the bandits and the three prisoners after all.
It was a quick kill, none of that torture sadistic nonsense as much as Mercer wanted nothing more than to make the filthy bandit suffer horribly before his demise for threatening to defile a young lady against her will. The very thought of it sickened him to the core.
Rapists are undeniably the worst of all scum. Only traitors perhaps go above that. Mercer clenched his fist tightly in pure outrage at Grim, even when said bandit is no more than a lifeless carcass waiting for wild vultures to devour.
Unlike Emeric, Grim won't be getting a funeral from him anytime soon. The difference between the motivation behind their actions is like night and day.
No, night and day might be an understatement. More like diamond and a speck of dust.
Where Emeric acted on justice and honor, even if it was rather over the top, Grim behaved himself based on his debased and wicked desires.
Someone could be shitting on Grim's corpse and Mercer won't even bat an eye. Heck, he would even encourage it.
His only regret is that the fucking bastard did not suffer deeply with every pain imaginable before his death.
Rather anti-climatic if you ask him.
Still, the situation is too much crucial for Mercer. Acting swiftly with brutal efficiency is his number one priority before giving in to his burning emotions filled with justifiable rage. A true mark of a Master Mercenary with years of experience and contacts from Earth backing him up.
As a result, Mercer took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He then wasted no time and perform the next step of his plan: Infiltration.
By his will, the system was summoned for him as he uses it to loot Grim's possessions, leaving the bandit naked in his underwear.
Mercer then rapidly change his whole apparel by utilizing the Inventory feature of the System, now donning the leather armor that the dead bandit once wore.
Of course, the outfit is merely not enough to disguise himself entirely since his face is still in clear view.
Therefore, Mercer withdrew the White Shirt he had from his Inventory, the same one that he got from Emeric. Using his dagger, he tore two pieces of fabric from the clothing and used it as a face mask and bandana to effectively conceal the lower portion of his face, and his head respectively.
Even so, he knew that the bandits will still be suspicious if he arrives at the camp just like that in addition to the sudden disappearance of Grim.
'Hmm, if I can deliver chaos among their ranks, then their attention would turn elsewhere, allowing a window of opportunity for me to act. But the question is, how?'
Time is running out and each fleeting moment passing meant danger closing into the prisoners.
The child, being sold as a slave.
The old man, to be toyed and tormented for their sick pleasure.
And most of all, the young lady, a subject of unconsented sexual assault by numerous perverted men.
Not to mention, there's also the possibility of other prisoners aside from the three mentioned.
With these significant feelings in mind, Mercer and eyed Mortem with the utmost deliberation, his eyes boring at the sharp edge meant precisely to take lives.
Then, with a determination of immense fortitude, he pressed his lip as he proceeded to injure himself, inflicting several wounds and cut as much as his willpower could muster, chipping away his health bar as a result.
***
As per his Map, Mercer found out that he's actually in a place known as the Arnya Woods, the same forest where the bandits resided in their encampment.
Two guards are assigned at the gate. The camp itself is covered by fortified wooden walls, thus getting in can't exactly be that easy.
For the average person that is.
After all, Mercer is not known as the Master of Shadows for being just average.
In addition to his now torn-out armor that he also inflicted and the injuries on his body that accompanied it, Mercer feigned weakness as he approached the guards with his limping figure.
The guards were immediately alarmed upon seeing someone approaching from a distance. Their alarm instantly turns to shock and concern upon seeing their "comrade" all battered and maimed.
"Fuck, you alright!?" One of the guards inquired with a distressed voice as he held Mercer for support.
"What happened?!" the second one expressed his dismay.
Mercer gritted his teeth as he clutched his bleeding abdomen in pain.
"Mercenaries. They ambushed us out of nowhere. I was lucky enough to escape, but I'm not sure if I can hold on."
"Mercenaries!? Damn it!! They must have been contracted by someone to hunt us down and find our camp. The boss needs to know about this right away!!" The guard said in panic and ordered his fellow lookout to tell their boss to do so to which the man complied promptly without question.
The now remaining guard looked at Mercer and gestured him to enter.
"Let's see, a health potion or two would do you good right now. Head on in and have a chat with our quartermaster so he can get you one. Wait a minute…"
Mercer, being the epitome of calm, did not show any emotion when the guard now looked suspiciously at him.
The Mercenary Assassin could only wonder if the guard was actually more deceptive than he looked and if his cover was blown in this early stage of his plan. If so, then his efforts of injuring himself would be all in vain.
Thankfully, it was not the case when the Bandit said-
"You were not followed, are you? It would spell big trouble should the mercs find out about our location."
At this point, Mercer was mentally relieved and he came up with a valid answer rather quickly.
"No. I managed to fake my death when the merc thought that he landed the killing blow. I waited for the right moment until the whoresons left the area. Seriously, can you save the questions for later? I still have a bleeding gut right here, in case you are too blind to fucking notice."
"Oops, my bad. Yeah, go on right in." the guard replied in a sheepish manner and gave way to Mercer for him to finally enter.
When Mercer was now inside the bandit encampment, this marked his first stage of the plan a complete success.
While the action of self-inflicted injury was absurd without question, this only served to assure Mercer of his entrance inside here. It's for the purpose of diverting the bandit guards' attention into his wounds instead of interrogating his real identity. After all, when an injured comrade was on your doorstep, then human nature dictated that you should at least help them, even if said comrades were bandit scum who prey to anyone who possessed coin and valuables.
Bandits nonetheless still had a sense of camaraderie and brotherhood mentality towards their fellow degenerates despite their abhorrent personality, and Mercer took advantage of that particular aspect for his seemingly unorthodox strategy to succeed.
Without a moment to waste, Mercer conjured a Health Potion from his Inventory when he believed that no one was looking at him when he found a temporary hiding spot behind one of the tents. He drank the red liquid and then felt its rejuvenating effects starting to take their place.
Of course, Mercer could adhere to the guard's earlier instruction of going to the Quartermaster, but he does not know where the Quartermaster's tent was. Asking directions about it may cause some trouble and suspicion to him since it would be strange if a member of this Bandit clan does not know the crucial locations of his encampment.
Thus, with his injuries healed and the Health bar full once more, Mercer decided to first investigate the entire surrounding interiors of the camp before proceeding to the second phase of his plan. He still needed to find out where the bandits kept their prisoners so he can free them without so many issues.
After all, it always never hurt to be prepared.