5 days had passed since Toya left the village. Nothing big had really happened since then. He had taken on his cloak to make sure that if anyone passed by, they wouldn't think much of him. He had come a long way from Ashenfield - the village's name. On the first night he left he had looked over the map the major had given him. Right now, he was far out to the east and was headed north to the capital. To get to the capital he had to cross a mountain. It wasn't a particular big one nor high and there a road that made sure you could travel easy without going to the top and down. If he kept up the pace, he had the last few days he would reach the foot of the mountain by nightfall. He hadn't gotten a lot of sleep the last few days not because he hadn't time but because he couldn't. But once he was over the mountains there would be a village. He was planning to take a few days of break there before continuing. But before all that he had to pass the mountain first.
it was already past noon, and the sun shined above him though leaves. Right now, Toya was on a forest road. With tress all over the place but of course that was how forest were he thought. To be honest it had been a long time since he last were in a forest. Back when he was younger, he never left the village and there weren't any forests in it. But now to both of his sides he could see the tall trees rise above him. The leaves had begun to wither. It was beautiful he thought all these variants of orange and yellow. He could hear the birds sing from their nests and feel the light breeze against his skin. Just going here was the most relaxing thing he had done the last few days. It put his mind at ease. He kept walking while enjoying the scenery besides him. As the sun slid across the sky and the time passed, he finally arrived at the foot of the mountain. His muscles were sore from all the walking, he didn't even have the energy to set up a proper camp. Normally he would make a little campfire and eat a little food, but not this time the moment he laid down he fell asleep.
From under his eyelids, he could see the warmth of the sun. He could hear the birds singing. He slowly opened his eyes with a yawn. For a time, he just laid there letting the warmth of the sun warm him. Even though it soon would be winter it was still warm outside, which didn't bother him since he would be traveling for quite a while more. And if it was warm he didn't have to worry about freezing to death. A faint smile crossed his face but deep down the smile was nothing but empty. He didn't know how to feel. He had seen his family die in front of him, cut ties with everyone who still cared about him, ran away from home, but somehow, he enjoyed this. He felt free, free from whatever chains had bound him to the village. He had always wanted to travel and go on adventures. His parents had always been against it though, they always said it was too dangerous. Which was odd he hadn't encountered a single magical beast yet. Normally magic beast would be all over placed like these since they were rich with mana. He let out a sigh, then realized he had been sighing a lot lately. He got up stretched his sore muscles and packed up his so-called camp. He took some dried meat out of his backpack and swung it onto his back. He wanted to hit the village on the other side of the mountain as soon as possible.
As he began to walk the trees thinned out. The road became rockier the longer he went. His breath became heavier as the air thinner. His legs burned with every step he took. He wasn't used to traveling like this and he could feel the stain on his body from it. Even so he couldn't turn around. He kept his eyes straight forward on the path when an invisible forced seemed to stop him. Something felt off. It was too quiet. He couldn't hear the sound of the birds. Even the sky seemed to warn him as clouds covered the sun. The clouds were gray and it seemed like it could rain anytime. He felt a shiver run down his spine as he felt a sensation in the back of his neck. He didn't even have to think about what it was. In the last couple of days he had felt it enough for an entire lifetime. It was a sensation he could never forget. It was the sensation of the pressure from pure bloodlust. Someone was watching him. And it was clear they didn't intend to become friends… No they intended to kill. He couldn't pinpoint the location of the bloodlust it was everywhere. He could feel his fingers itching for the sword. But he forced himself to act natural. He continued going as if nothing had happened. His breath steady, his eyes on the road but all of his senses were at their max, trying to catch even the slightest movement. How many were there? Where were they hiding? He wondered as he kept his pace. He could feel the bloodlust get stronger and his grip tightening abound the sword hilt. The bloodlust wasn't as strong as the one he had felt from the captain, but it was still strong enough for him to feel it. A normal person wouldn't have been able to detect it, but you couldn't really call him normal anymore. The people watching him probably thought he didn't know they were there. They were waiting, waiting for the right time to strike. Toya on the other hand was waiting for them to make one single mistake so he could pinpoint them.
They didn't make their move immediately. Toya was beginning to think they never would but then he heard a rustle of leaves. He could see them move in a bush only a few meters besides him. He could feel their bloodlust getting bigger and bigger as they prepared to strike. He forced himself to remain calm even though is pulse were pounding. And only a moment later they were over him. Those who came at him had daggers or swords. They didn't make much of an impression. Their clothes were simple and their weapons too. They were all in the same age-range he guessed. They all looked to be in their thirties. Toya smirked. Finally. Toya removed his sword from its scabbage. You could hear the sound of steel against steel as the blades collided. Their swordsmanship wasn't more than decent but their numbers made up for that. But due to Toya's training in swordsmanship - from his dad - since childhood he was better than them. It was easy for him to predict and avoid their attacks, but he felt he was missing something. He couldn't shake the feeling off. But he didn't have time to think about it. 3 out of the 5 of them came at him. To be honest Toya didn't want to kill them because it would a waste, but it would be too annoying to deal with to let them live. How annoying he thought. He cut them down without further hesitation, after all they were nothing more than criminals - bandits. He could feel his sword easily cut through their bodies as a knife cut through butter. His eyes were cold, like a calm sea but filled with unknown dangers. His sword was dripping with their blood as he finished off the last one. He let out a sigh and for a moment let down his guard. That was a big mistake. Because in that moment he heard a sound. A sound of something being released. He only barely got to turn his head before seeing an arrow come flying. Damn it he thought right before a loud crack filled the air.