Aldous set out towards Oakwood early the next morning, his sword and shield at his side. The road was quiet, and he felt a sense of peace as he walked, the warm sun on his back and the sound of birds in the trees. But as he got closer to the village, that peace was shattered.
He could see the burned-out husks of farmhouses and barns, and the fields around him were trampled and bare. This was the work of the bandits he had been hired to deal with, and it made Aldous angry.
He strode into Oakwood, his eyes scanning the village for any sign of trouble. People looked up as he passed, eyeing him warily. Aldous couldn't help but notice that many of them were better dressed than he was, and he felt a twinge of shame.
He was an outsider, a mercenary from a small village on the edge of the kingdom. He knew that people like him weren't exactly welcomed with open arms in places like this. But he had a job to do, and he wasn't going to let anyone stop him.
He made his way to the village elder's house, where he was greeted by a portly man with a bushy mustache.
"Ah, you must be the mercenary the Adventurers Guild sent," the man said, his voice wheezy.
"That's me," Aldous replied, trying to keep the annoyance out of his voice.
"Well, we're glad you're here. The bandits have been causing us no end of trouble. They come in the night and steal our crops, and they're not afraid to hurt anyone who gets in their way."
"I'll take care of them," Aldous said, his jaw set.
The elder nodded and handed him a map of the area. "This will show you where the bandits have been spotted. Be careful, mercenary. They're a dangerous bunch."
Aldous left the elder's house and set out towards the nearest farm. As he walked, he couldn't help but feel the eyes of the villagers on him. He knew what they were thinking: that he was just a lowly F-rank mercenary, barely worth the coin it took to hire him.
It was a feeling he was all too familiar with. Back in Ark Ville, he had been looked down upon for his poverty and his lack of social status. He had hoped that by becoming a mercenary, he could escape that kind of discrimination. But it seemed like it was following him wherever he went.
As he approached the farm, Aldous saw a group of bandits gathered around the farmhouse. They were armed with swords and axes, and they looked like they meant business. Aldous unsheathed his sword and shield and approached them, his heart pounding in his chest.
The bandits turned to face him, and for a moment there was silence. Then one of them laughed and stepped forward.
"Well, well, what have we got here? A little rat come to play with the big boys?"
Aldous gritted his teeth and prepared for battle. He was going to show these bandits what a mercenary with something to prove could do.