Noone, Sarah and Clayton all walked together further away from the Caravan. Noone stayed close to Sarah and put as much distance between himself and the other paladin, keeping his divine sense trained on Clayton the whole time.
Either Clayton did not notice it, or chose to say nothing, because Noone was able to observe him easily.
The fact that he had seen the paladin approach initially, even if he was moving insanely fast, led Noone to believe that Clayton had no way to notice his divine sense.
Clayton smiled to himself as he walked, making small talk with the two of them. Sarah seemed more comfortable with Clayton, possibly because they shared similar gods and goals.
"You said we were going to exterminate?" Noone asked, trying to be as casual as possible. The paladin nodded.
"Nearby there is a camp of bandits that have run amok in this area for the better half of a decade." Clayton began. "Usually it is beneath Hoar to deal with bandits. If he sent every vengeance paladin to deal with every bandit group that showed up in the world, there wouldn't be enough paladins left for the people truly deserving to be extinguished." Clayton sighed and gave his younger apprentice a knowing look. Noone and Sarah could tell that Clayton was speaking more for Sarah's sake, seeing how he was sent to show her the ropes.
"Then why are we doing this?" Sarah asked, catching on immediately.
"Well… It seems that these bandits stuck their fingers into something they shouldn't have." He put a hand to his chin. "I'm not too clear either. It's also possible that He wants to start you off with something easy." Internally clayton frowned, he had been a vengeance paladin for a long time, and Hoar was not the type to ease his followers into their roles. He was more a 'trial by fire' god.
Clayton thought about his own initiation and his first assignment many decades ago. It had been a bloody hell. He was sure that he was going to die any number of times.
"Most likely the former. The nearby tows all said the bandits have been quiet for the past three or four months. It's put everyone on edge. Plus, I have been watching them for weeks, waiting for you to get close enough to join me." He looked at Sarah. She understood that he had been scouting out the camp ahead of time.
"How many are there?" Noone asked, right to the point.
"Hmm." Clayton put a finger to his chin before smiling. "Only around a hundred." He said.
Noone frowned but said nothing. Sarah also frowned. "So many? Is it just going to be the three of us?"
Clayton chuckled when he saw their expressions. "Now now. You don't have to worry too much. With me here how could I let anything happen to Hoar's newest paladin." He said playfully. However, Noone was quick to notice he wasn't included in that sentence. "Apart from a few of the bandit heads, everyone there is either unclassed, or a level one or two fighters. For you with your extensive training, they will be no match as long as you don't get surrounded."
All Noone could do was maintain his neutral expression. He didn't mind not being included in Clayton's protection, it was his own fault for getting dragged into this, and at worst he could escape in the thick of battle. He felt a little bad at the thought of leaving Sarah behind, but she had Clayton protecting her. He would have to rely on himself.
Noone put his hand on his chin in thought.
"If they are so weak, how are they able to be such a nuisance for the last decade? Certainly the towns have enough people to clean out such a camp?" In his mind he was recalling the various higher-level adventurers he had seen in Ardglass, let alone Pinepass. Clayton cleared his throat and made a noise like he was disappointed in Noone.
"It has to do with numbers and the fact that the bandits have no reason to stay in any one place for too long. Even if you brought out ten level ten paladins, they wouldn't necessarily be able to apprehend all one hundred bandits. There is only so many people you can focus on in a one on one fight after all.
It would be different if the towns could ambush the bandits, but they are a sneaky bunch that would hide themselves deep into the mountains the moment they received word of a military forced being raised against them."
"But now…" Clayton chuckled, "They've gotten complacent, and we have the advantage."
The forest floor gradually stretched into an incline, and soon the group of three were trekking up a lone hill in the forest.
"We are close." Clayton said. "Half of their base is built within the peak of this hill, a single entrance – a choke-point leading inside. The other half is set up as a courtyard around the entrance." He stopped, turning towards Noone and Sarah.
"They have a hidden exit out the back of the hill, a small tunnel." Suddenly his smile returned, however it wasn't the playful smile Noone and Sarah had seen before. It was a cold smile that didn't reach his eyes, reflecting decades of unmitigated and untold violence.
"I am going to set up at that exit and I will wait there." He pointed at Noone and Sarah. "You two, will be attacking from the front. Do so however you wish. Have fun! Get creative! As soon as I hear the party starting, I will make my way in through the back, keeping the exit sealed so no one escapes."
Sarah merely nodded when she heard this, not believing that Clayton would do anything which would get her killed, not while the served the same ends, anyways.
Noone on the other hand frowned. This was the worst situation he could have hoped for. If he left Sarah behind, he didn't know how he would explain himself later. It would be one thing if Clayton were right next to them the whole time, he should have the means to escape with her if need be. But leaving Noone with Sarah… He couldn't help but wonder if Clayton had done it on purpose. He wouldn't go so far as to hold himself accountable for her life, but… It left a bad taste in his mouth.
Seeming to understand Noone's thoughts, the older paladin smiled. His white teeth contrasting sharply against his dark hair and eyes. "I am not an unfair person Noone. Whatever you obtain from the bandit's belongs to you. I am sure that after years of robbing and plunder, they have accrued quite a mass of interesting tools and magics." He said. "Even if we are in the middle of the boonies." Clayton added to himself.
Noone thought about this for a moment before gritting his teeth and nodding. If he was here anyways, he might as well try to get something out of it.
Clayton nodded to them, pleased with Noone's decision. Honestly if Noone had chosen to flee, he wouldn't have done anything about it. But since he didn't, Clayton's opinion of Noone had gone up.
"Since this is your first time," Clayton added. "I would suggest you strike fast, and hard. The more disorientated they are, the easier they will be to pick off one by one. Here." Clayton tossed two red bottles over, one to Noone and one to Sarah.
When Sarah saw the bottles, her eyes widened, and she quickly scrambled to catch the bottle gently before it hit the ground.
Noone easily snatched the bottle from the air.
Before he could ask what it was, Clayton disappeared through the trees, beginning to circle around to the back of the hill. Sarah looked at the bottle frightfully.
"What is it?" Noone asked, noticing Sarah's tense demeanor. He stirred the liquid within the bottle lightly, listening to the swish as it sloshed around.
Sarah hesitated for only a moment. "It's called liquid fire… I was with Clayton in Pinepass when he bought it. Along with my armor." Sarah spoke gently. "It was almost impossible to find, and they cost ten gold a piece. He was only able to get ahold of these two…." She added. Never did she believe that he would hand them over so easily.
Noone's eyes also widened. So expensive? That was almost ten times the cost of the axes he had sold in Ardglass according to Raelith. "What do they do?" Noone asked, however he had a feeling he could tell from the name.
"According to Clayton, wherever they land will be coated in a liquid a few meters across which ignites on impact. Flames hot enough to melt metal will rise from that spot and will subsist for almost ten minutes. Anything that touches the liquid will also catch alight." Sarah's grip softened as she spoke, scared to accidentally break the bottle in her hand. Noone also couldn't help but stop swirling it.
Noone hesitated for a moment. "This clayton… he's not a very good person." Sarah nodded but said nothing, staring into the red bottle.
After a few moments an exasperated sigh escaped from her lips. "So… Noone. How do you want to do this? If you want to leave, you don't worry about me and go… you have your own goals and don't need to risk yourself here." In her heart, she felt bad for getting Noone dragged into this, but she also was happy she had someone she was familiar with around. Noone only shook his head and smiled. Sarah was a good person, he thought. He hoped that serving as a vengeance paladin wouldn't take that away from her over time.
The two quietly stalked through the forest up the hill, planning their approach as they arrived closer to the camp.
It wasn't long before Sarah and Noone were only a few dozen yards away from the bandit encampment, quietly sitting in the tree line and looking towards a large wooden wall which bordered the camp. It was ten feet tall and stretched into a half circle built into the side of the hill. The ground looked to have been manually flattened at some point, making it an easy resting ground for the troupe.
At the front of the wall was a large open section the bandits would enter and exit from. There were three bandits quietly sitting and drinking, talking with each other. Presumably they were meant to watch for any intruders and alert the rest of the camp.
Even with it being so late into the night, there were at least a dozen people who were still awake inside, the rest were presumably sleeping nearby or within the caverns in the hill itself.
The lingering smell of roasted meats wafted through the air overpowering the natural scent of nature despite having been eaten hours before. It seemed that these bandits didn't go without, despite Clayton mentioning they haven't been active for months.
"Are you sure you want to do this Sarah?" Noone asked, poising himself behind a large tree. Sarah nodded, and after a small sigh she disappeared, making her way to the side of the base, carefully following the tree line to stay hidden.
Noone centered himself behind the tree, regulating his breathing. Every muscle in his body was being flooded – unconsciously – with universe energy. Noone breathed out a harsh breath and pushed himself off the ground.
At a speed that threatened to tear his joints, Noone's massive body dashed across the clearing between the trees and the front gate. In his hands the two axes were already drawn, his legs bulged under the immense pressure.
Noone had taken Clayton's words to mind.
Strike hard. Strike fast.
On his waistband, a red bottle was tied tightly.
Noone had proposed a plan which they believed had the highest chance of working. But it required Noone be able to tank the front of the camp.
"Three people in the front, and at least a dozen people inside… I can do that." Noone assured himself. He grit his teeth so tightly that they threated to break.