Once he was sure that Benjamin and Catherine were sleeping soundly, Arthur covered them with a soundproof barrier and sat near the fire. The Bandits were waiting for something and he decided to play along. Meanwhile, he was thinking about this new land and his strange encounter. While he still had no firm opinion about Benjamin, Catherine impressed him. She was strong and brave, while also being careful and calculating. The Nekomi clearly wasn't telling him everything, but he suspected it was because she didn't know him well enough. For now, Arthur would have to trust her and live with the potential consequences of that misplaced trust. He poked the campfire with a stick and smiled to himself. She was quite cute in that maid outfit.

  He waited for about half an hour before his last traces of patience vanished. Walking a few dozen metres off the road, he looked down at the highest-level bandit who was hiding behind a shrub.

  "How long do you plan to watch us?" He asked the man who flinched in shock.

  Four bandits quickly stood from behind various covers and closed in on him. They probably wanted to look intimidating but they might as well try to turn into cheese and fly away. Arthur wasn't afraid when he was purging a lair of Voidlings, so four low-level bandits weren't even worthy of his time. Two of them had a strange appearance. At first, Arthur thought they were Wolfkins but they were more animal than human in their appearance, so they could have been a separate race. Their dog-like snouts sported sharp-looking fangs. They seemed similar to the slave trader, Solvis. The other two were regular Humans.

  "We are incredibly happy that you did us a favour and came over here alone." The biggest of them posed as he drew his dagger. "Our boss sent us to check on why his newest toy was late and what do we find? His trader is nowhere to be found and his property is following your orders. That just won't do. Give her to us and we promise that we will kill you quickly."

  Arthur looked at the man with a bored gaze. "You know... As far as the threats go, you are doing such a sad job that I feel bad for you."

  That took them off guard. Another one of them, a dog-like man, stepped out.

  "Do you know who we are, you bastard?! We ar-"

  The man never finished as his head sailed through the air. As the rest of him collapsed in a fountain of blood, the remaining bandits gasped in shock.

  "Don't you fucking dare insult my dear Mother, you worthless pieces of shit," Arthur said with a cold voice amplified by his Domination Aura, while his Aura of Despair made them shiver. His movements were so fast that the goons were unable to follow them. "Now, here’s the deal. I wanted to interrogate you and then, allow you leave if you made a vow to never return to your current boss. But sure, I can play by your rules. If you tell me everything I want to know, I will kill you quickly."

  "You-" The biggest of the bandits shivered with fear. "We’ll tell you nothing."

  His eyes nervously scanned the vicinity but Arthur just laughed.

  "Your friends are already dead. No one will come and help you."

  Five more mutilated bodies flew from the darkness and landed in front of the Bandits who screamed in response. Arthur was glad that he had set soundproof barriers for Benjamin and Catherine.

  "Seriously? You came to kill me unprepared to die yourself?" He laughed with amusement. "A good joke! So. Now, while we are all laughing so cheerfully, don't forget about our deal. Who sent you?"

  "Fuck you!" One of them shouted and Arthur pierced his leg with a glaive that materialised in his hands.

  "No, thank you." He chuckled. "I asked who sent you?"

  Arthur slowly begun twisting the blade. The bandits just stood there, paralysed by fear. Shade was standing behind them, silent and perfectly blended into the night. The bandits couldn't see the Fenrir, but they could feel his menacing presence.

  "Who... Sent... You?" Arthur asked with an emotionless voice.

  "Griss Vul!" The man with a pierced leg collapsed to the ground when Arthur pulled back his glaive.

  "See? Wasn't that easy?" The Inquisitor said and leaned lazily on his weapon. "You see, I don't have to torture you. But, I'm quite angry and frustrated right now, so you will be on the receiving end of my wrath. I'm far away from home, my family is there and probably wondering about me, and my friends are fighting horrors beyond your limited imagination. Meanwhile... You dimwits, decided it was the smartest idea you’ve ever had to attack someone whose level eclipses yours. So... If you tell me what I want to know, I will simply kill you. Painlessly and without any fanfare. But if you continue to refuse..."

  Shade let out a low, guttural growl. It wasn't particularly menacing or even loud. He was a Shadow Fenrir. He didn't have to advertise himself as if he were some lesser dog. He simply announced his presence. For the bandits, it was like the darkness itself growled behind them. They, very slowly, looked around but still couldn't see him. Until Arthur lit the night with a ball of flames that hung motionlessly in the air revealing the Fenrir towering behind them.

  "You can't run." He warned them. "Do you even know what he is?"

  "Sh-sh-shadow... W-w-wolf..." The supposed leader of the bandits powerlessly dropped his weapon to the ground before collapsing to his knees.

  "Almost." Shade laughed. "I'm a Fenrir of the Righteous Dungeon, Familiar of Inquisitor Captain Arthur Ives. My name is Shade. If you don't answer my friend's questions, I will drag you into the eternal darkness of the Shadow Realm. There... You will die, and your death won't be quick."

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  They started screaming in inhumane tones of mad fear. Arthur gave them a few more moments before he clapped his hands. They instantly fell silent and looked at him.

  "Where can I find Griss Vul?" Arthur asked.

  "In the old shop that once belonged to that merchant Clark, whose daughter the boss wanted." One who had stayed quiet so far blurted out, "Griss wanted to make sure the girl would be utterly broken so he could toy with her as he pleased!"

  "Was he responsible for the death of Catherine's father?"

  "We... I... I don't know for sure, but… probably?" The suddenly talkative bandit replied.

  "Do you know that for sure?" Arthur glanced at the remaining two.

  "No!" They replied one after another.

  "Why does he want her so much?" Arthur continued with another question.

  They looked at each other with dumbfounded stares and were quiet for a few heartbeats. That was the familiar silence of people who had no idea but were trying to figure out a quick reason. The remaining dog-like shook his head.

  "The boss is weird sometimes. We never asked... Who really cared, anyway? He's the boss."

  Arthur suppressed a sigh. How typical for any piece of shit that gained power. Arthur wondered whether he shouldn't simply ask Shade to massacre the entire organisation but... No. He needed the help of the local noble.

  "Will the local lord be willing to pay for the head of your boss?" Arthur asked with curiosity.

  "Yes." The biggest one clenched his fists and looked at the ground.

  "How many goons does Griss have at his service?" Arthur looked at the biggest one.

  "Forty!" The dog-like bandit barked.

  "Fifty-five, you idiot!" The other Human looked at his companion angrily.

  "What are you talking about! Seventy others!" The biggest slapped the back of their heads.

  Arthur sighed. The greatest weakness of his skill was debated in the Academy and he knew about it. They all said their truth, which only meant that they had no idea how big the crime organisation was. They reported what they believed to be the truth but keeping this line of interrogation was pointless. Arthur had to prepare for at least seventy bandits.

  "What is the highest level and what classes do they have?" The Inquisitor asked. It wouldn't hurt to know.

  "That... That would be the boss. He is level fifty and his class... Ummm... Is... Brawler... I think." The biggest one of them said and the rest of them nodded confirmingly.

  "Do you know how to write?" Arthur asked.

  Only one of them acknowledged they could so Arthur tasked him with writing down all the names, classes, and levels of the thugs working for Griss Vul. Once he was done, Arthur ordered him to write their testimony and sign them. With that, he drew his sword.

  "Please..." The talkative one lowered his head.

  "It's nothing personal," Arthur assured them and cut their heads off in one fluent motion. He Purified his blade and sheathed it. "Dispose of their bodies, Shade. Bury them or something."

  "Seriously? Can I just drop them into the Shadow Realm?" The Fenrir scowled.

  "Do you think they will be found?" Arthur shrugged.

  "No chance."

  "Then do it." Arthur walked towards the camp.

  Arthur decided not to add more wood to the fire as he passed near and kept it stored for later. He sat in the driver's seat of the cargo cart he was using along with Catherine and looked at the stars above. He needed the time to think. For his quest to return home, he needed to obtain a map of this continent and exact information on where he was. In the most optimistic version, he would learn which direction Aderon lay and if it was even possible to reach it. He needed more money, supplies, and allies to reach his goal. Securing more allies was probably the most important thing. As an Inquisitor, he was a powerful person but, at the end of the day, he couldn't fight alone against overwhelming odds forever. Arcadian Inquisitors were prepared for the possibility of being cut off from Arcadian forces and taught how to operate in a hostile environment. Inquisitors usually worked in teams and, even if they were separated, they could eventually reach friendly forces. However, they weren't prepared for situations like this.

  He desperately needed to build a team he could trust from scratch. Arthur sighed and took out his communication slate. It wasn't just a portable radio, but a fairly complex magic tool developed for the most elite Arcadian forces. The magi-slate allowed him to take pictures, keep his records and personal logs, as well as display maps as illusions. Or as the Emperor called them: holograms. It still displayed the lack of connection but Arthur simply wanted to record the list of people he was going to bring to justice.

  Crushing a crime organisation wasn't a particularly big deal, but he was going to do it for a woman he barely met and the possibility of gaining favour from the city Lord. Catherine... He wasn't sure if he wanted to involve her in his dangerous mission. Undeniably, she was ambitious and intelligent, but the fact that she was classless put her in particular danger. Technically, he could do something about her class but he wasn't sure if he was ready... Truth be told, he was already too emotionally invested in her and, if he were to take her as his apprentice, he would be even more attached to her. If he started developing feelings for her, it might end in a disaster. She was taking her role seriously and truly wanted to help him, but he knew that one day their paths would separate. She had no obligation to risk an extremely dangerous journey across the ocean. He took a deep breath and looked at the sleeping Nekomi.

  She had undressed herself from the maid outfit and spread its pieces on every flat surface she could find. Currently, she was covered with the blanket he gave her and he hoped that she was, at the very least, wearing her underwear. She breathed calmly and slept with an innocent and happy smile. Her black hair shone slightly in the light of the moon but it was more from the soap he gave her than a sign of good health. The fur on her ears was dull and tousled, a sure sign of malnutrition commonly seen on rescued Nekomi slaves. Her nails were chipped and broke easily while her skin was dry and slightly greyish. There was a long road before her to return to full health but, at least, she had started to recover.

  He shook his head. Catherine was vulnerable, and if she stayed with him, she was going to be a living target. However... Leaving her behind, even if he gave her some funds to start a new life, was equally dangerous. Maybe even more dangerous, because she wouldn't have anyone to protect her. Benjamin wanted to employ her in his Trade Company, but the fact that it was Arthur who saved their lives proved that he was incapable of sufficiently protecting himself. It was debatable whether Arthur was actually responsible for her safety in the first place. He already knew that she would follow him no matter what happened, but he couldn't currently guess her reasons. Someone who put the slave collar on themselves twice was desperate enough to gamble their life in the most reckless way to survive.

  Thank you all for reading.

  I wish you all a great day and as always I wait for your comments.

  A big thanks to and who edited the chapter!