The last bandit was the youngest, the one who had proposed the toast to easy fortune. He dropped his weapon and fell to his knees, his hands raised in the universal gesture of surrender. His words came out in broken sobs.
"Please. I didn't want this. I didn't know..."
Sera's head tilted. Her empty eyes fixed on his face with perfect, unwavering attention. She took a step forward. Then another.
Her entire body began to move like a robot; she couldn't hear a word he said. Her joints separated in sequence. Her limbs stretched. Her spine twisted.
The scythe blade rotated three times. The bandit's words were cut short. His body fell. The only sound remaining was the soft splash of blood hitting the stone floor.
The cave descended into silence broken only by Sera's ragged breathing.
