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Hey everyone! My summer vacation is quickly approaching so perhaps there will be more stories coming soon. I hope you enjoy this one!

(small sidenote, there is no picture for this one. Yea I know it violates the literal name of this post but the pictures take a bit too much time sometimes and ehh idk if I wanna keep going with them)

I walked off, there was no need to wait for a response. I cant trust someone like that, I cant trust someone who thinks that its fine to play with my life. How will I make it to Ironforge city though? All I know is that it is quite far north, just on the edge of the mountains. Very few people have gone beyond the mountains from what Ive heard, its simply too dangerous. My best bet is probably to find a group of travellers who I can come along with. I look for some inns, thats the first place a traveller would go to. I find one that isnt just crowded with folks having a good night, and there are a few people there who look like travellers. I sit down at a table next to two gentleman who are most definitely not from this area, and order a meal. So, what now? We just need to go to the City of Colour to buy some goods, and then we can return to Ilran. Itll be dangerous to just travel with the two of us though, there will be even more bandits than usual. Yes, I want to see if we can maybe get a few folks as an escort, or at least someone who knows how to fight off some bandits. They dont need to be a seasoned warrior, even the impression of knowing how to fight will scare of most folks with bad intents. The two ate the rest of their meal in silence, as I considered my options. I could ask if perhaps they would like me to be their guard, but I dont have a physical weapon. Judging from their looks, these are two humans and from what they said I can assume that they come from some small city or castle of which from what Ive been told there are a lot around in the plains and hills around the City of Colour. Those are generally the type of folks who dont like anything that has to do with magic, and hence they could very well reject my offer. Then again, I have something to offer that they need, and this is not their home. I havent gone much farther north than this before, but I know how to fight.

Excuse me gentlemen, I have an offer you might be interested in. The two look up at me, and the first man responds with a simple Go on. I heard you were looking for someone to protect you from bandits. Im headed for Ironforge city, and I know how to fight. All I ask in return is food and water. I can promise you that no harm will come your way. I can clearly see the two hesitate. Do you have a weapon of choice? Id been expecting that question. I dont need a weapon. I would give you a demonstration, but this is not the right place for that. Not what they wanted to hear, but its the truth. Sometimes thats more important. Id like to see that demonstration. Mind coming along with us? That went surprisingly easy. I finish my meal and follow them outside, and we walk together to the outskirts of Moraese. In a quiet corner I show them some simple magic, very basic things. No Dark magic, if there is anything Ive learned its that there are quite a lot of prejudices against it. They probably suspect Im holding something back, but thats inevitable. When Im done they walk away to be able to discuss without me hearing what theyre saying. I patiently wait for them to return, and when they do I get the response I was hoping for: You only wanted food and water in return, correct? Yes. Weve got a deal. Were leaving tomorrow morning, I expect you to be back at the inn we were at so we can leave as soon as possible. My name is Niko, and my companion here is Bagor. Ill be there, you can call me Kartus. I sleep outside the city, I cant afford anything better right now. It doesnt bother me, it feels good to have a plan again. Im not sure what I want to do when I reach Ironforge city, but Ill figure that out when I get there.

The next morning we leave. Niko and Bagor both have a donkey that carries their bags, the few things that I have I just carry myself. It feels tense, and I can see why they dont fully trust me yet. I just hope that if we encounter bandits I can prove my worth, preferably without having to use any Dark magic.

Weve been travelling for two days now, we should be almost halfway there. Weve just entered a large forest, and I need to pay attention to our surroundings. If there is going to be a trap set somewhere by bandits this would be the place for it. We keep going, slower than I would like. The air feels heavy, Im not used to this kind of weather. We get even deeper into the forest, and it starts raining softly through the leaves. Then, I hear a sound. I continue walking, but I listen even more carefully. There, I hear it again. The sound of leaves, something walking through the foliage perhaps. Or someone. Wait. Stop here for a momen- Before I can finish my sentence, people jump out of the bushes on the sides of the path. When I look back I see that theyve surrounded us. There are two armed bandits ahead of us and two behind. Each of them is holding either a sword or a knife, and the weapons look sharp. Niko has seen it too, and says: Kartus, if you wanted to prove something now is the time! Im uncertain. I think I can take them, but not without using Dark magic. Its a risk Ill have to take, the alternative seems worse. One of the bandits tells us to give all of our money, or else. I take this moment to turn around and try to deal with the two bandits behind us. I use a spell to quickly throw one of them into the air, and throw some concentrated Dark magic at the other one. Its not the best option, but its the easiest. The bandit who got throw into the air gets the same treatment, and I take their swords and hand them to Niko and Bagor, who stayed just in front of me. It all happens so quickly that the first two bandits havent reacted yet, but now they come charging at us. Not much of a problem, I simply create an invisible wall like I did against the Darklings to temporarily shield us from their attacks, and then use the same spell with Dark magic to knock them unconscious. The Dark magic might leave some more damage than just knocking them unconscious, but thatll be their problem. Thatll do. They will lay here for some time, and they probably wont even remember how it got to this. We better get going again. Niko and Bagor seem somewhat perplexed, and Niko responds pretty much how I expected him to. That was Dark magic! How- Yes, thats a very good observation. You should be glad that Im on your side and that I dont require much. But- No, I dont want to hear it. We made an agreement, and if youre looking to break that agreement you could very well end like them. I say, pointing at the folks laying on the ground.

To be continued

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