Hopping along the little rabbits parade in threes along the grass in the woods looking for something juicy to munch on. Suddenly the rabbits stiffened in pain looking around vigilantly they find the quiet mist filled forest is completely absent of any enemies. Discovering that they felt the searing pain again as their bodies became stiff falling limp onto the ground. A short while after two travelers in the mist came over and picked them up while sticks wrapped in thick cloud like mist floated through the air like floating down a stream all landing in one place before one of them who sat down before it and whispered something before large series of spark flew from her palm starting a fire. Then started to gut the rabbits mist escaping from their heads and going into one of their hoods right into my mouth.
Laying back down to rest I force a part of my mist forward to scout out the road ahead while the girls eat and I 'meditate'. A short half hour or so later a hand held a piece of meat before my face that I grabbed and started to munch on. Sitting on the edge of the furred inner section of the backpack I munched away on the little chunk of meat still searching for anything of interest down the road. Eventually I found something peculiar. Damaged sections of a large cart ripped apart of the road some horse corpses that had already stopped bleeding a few people in full leather outfits dragging the corpses and ruined bit of wood and cloth and throwing it into the forest nearby before dragging some bags and carrying chests away into the woods some of them remaining behind along the roads edge... Hmm, bandits or merchants who lose cart broke down and got attacking losing their horses... One of the two... However if it was the second wouldn't they use the main road as it is safer and faster. Clearly bandits. They wouldn't leave anyone behind or walk through the forest otherwise. Following along with them with mist I mark each of them filling their heads with mist. Fifteen minutes of hiking through the forest later the bandits reached their cave hideout.
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Straining to breath inside a large sack Marrick tenses up hoping to reduce the pain of the strike as another bump comes. He knew these bandits where here. He was a merchant who acted as the bait so they could bring out the bandits and kill them all but the adventurers who started the baiting mission turned against them in the last second. Straining his eyes and gripping his gut after being thrown into something and finding the sacks opening is no longer kept shut. Climbing out Marrick looked around the disgusting cave that is filled with excrement looking around he finds his cage isn't the only one some of his staff and the porters hired to deal with his goods are in the cages around him further in there are even cages filled with skinny people who had clearly been captured long ago and thrown aside a pile of bones in the corner of some of the cages clearly licked clean by the cell mates. These vile bandits sadly aren't like all the others. They don't simply steal things they steal people. They are the largest group of thieves throughout the kingdom this is just a small local group of them but they recently started acting on this road. They hold a faith unlike the other bandits. A vile twisted faith that demands they kidnap and torture others as a form of prayer they must trap them in cages of bones and starve them to death.
Usually nothing is scarier to a merchant like Marrick then bandits as they act as his greatest enemy but this cult of bandits terrifies Marrick. He only accepted the mission to act as bait because the group of adventurers who hired them have a history of ensuring that the bandits all die or leave from the territory when they do missions like this. No one knew it was entirely just an act. When the bandits are going to move around they have their members playing the adventurer role drag in some trash to 'drive them away' as they simply leave the area. Other times the adventurer groups job is to hunt the competition or simply act as guards for other merchants who they are going to rob and 'barely escape' with the merchant leaving behind his employed guards and staff along with the merchants goods. Some teams like this have already been caught in the kingdom and the adventurer's guild execute the members their self, claiming any who takes a quests must complete the mission anyone who uses the quests from the guild as bait would be executed as well if they are discovered. Marrick lost in his mind trying to replay how this happened didn't notice the mist slowly filling the room nor was he aware the whole bandit hide out was filled with the same light green mist. Sadly the bandits didn't think much of it either even when they did notice it they just shrugged off the weird weather. Only one person in the whole place reacted immediately but he was too late as the gates to the cages were all opened at once as the chains and locks unlocked on their own and the bandit leader looked around in a panic trying to give orders to his men as they began to fall to the ground holding their heads he felt the stinging pain in his head as well but gritting his teeth he held on rushing towards the exit slicing his blade at anything that got in the way a storm of bloody air slicing through the air as he waves his sword.
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I had wanted to attack everyone at once but I didn't realize the bandit leader with his strange bloody swordsmanship would react so quickly seeing the mist he almost managed to give his men orders but I reacted quicker and thus he was too late to save them as he rushed towards the exit of the cave but he was doomed not to make it.
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Standing up curiously Marrick walked around looking at the once bandit hideout as the other prisoners all rushed out of the cave however Marrick knew something was wrong. Looking at the guards that had died blood leaking from their eyes and ears he remembered a rumor one of his porters told him about a beast of clouds who travels along with a sea of mist and kills evil people... However he assumed it was just a joke or a rumor blown out of proportions but looking at the seemingly uninjured people bleeding from the eyes and ears littered everywhere Marrick quickly ordered his porters and guards to collect the bandits goods as the older prisoners rushed out not caring for such things as they only sought freedom and food.