It's been roughly 4 months since I came to this world. I've spent this time working on my mana core and healing the bandits after every raid. Sometimes there were a lot, sometimes there were only a couple. Sometimes I was even forced to act as a combat field medic and heal people during the battle. With each raid brought more women, and with it more reasons to get stronger to one day get rid of these bandits. They were a scourge to perfectly innocent people and I lost a piece of myself every time I had to see the pleading eyes of a newly captured woman.
With these 4 months though has come some small amount of freedom however. After the 3rd month they let me out of the cage as they only saw me as a weak child with only healing abilities. Little did they know that during these 4 months I had come to realize something. I was also a Quadra elemental mage! Of course I never outwardly practiced it in fear they would notice, but whenever I was meditating and purifying my core I knew.
This revelation had rejuvenated my hopes of killing or at least escaping these bandits. For now though I was helping the only way I knew how.
Night had falling since fallen and the camp was entering in to its sleep stage. I crept towards a tent that I had seen one of the newer girls get dragged into, and entered as quietly as I could. The bandit snored loudly from his spot, arms wrapped around the stomach of the poor girl who was still silently sobbing. I got her attention and gave the universal sign of be quiet by putting a finger to my mouth as I lifted the bandit's knife from his belt. He shifted a little bit with the return of his snoring I knew he was still asleep.
I crouched in front of the girl who had hope in her eyes, but as I placed the handle of the knife in her it changed to confusion. I leaned closer with my hands wrapped around the one of hers that gripped the knife and I whispered.
"I'm sorry but I'm not strong enough to take them all and we would never get away if we ran. This is for the best. I'm sorry." Before she could realize what was happening I brought the knife in her hand up to her throat and sliced deep. I could feel tears begin to well in my eyes and I felt bile rise in my throat, but I swallowed it down. I couldn't leave any evidence, this had to look like a suicide. I felt horrible and disgusted but it was the only mercy I could offer them.
I slipped back out the tent and rinsed my hands off in a nearby stream before coming back into camp. No one had noticed the dead girl yet and while I wanted to help more it would be too suspicious if they all happened to kill themselves on the same night. I'm sorry you guys.
I continued this at least 1 a week. Not that it made much of a difference when we would go on raids almost every month unless we hit a huge haul. Soon the guys could no longer take the women back to their tents, they had a tent set up where the women were chained up to posts. I hadn't thought the bandits would be smart enough to change how they do stuff, but I guess after another 3 months of 1 girl a week "killing herself" they had to change it.
It unnerved me how easy it started to become to take their lives in my attempt to give them a mercy killing. I no longer hesitated, and I no longer apologized to them as I did it. Most of the time I just hoped they were asleep so that I didn't have to see the pain in their eyes as I did it. But no matter what I told myself I was plagued by nightmares of all the ones I killed. I used this self pity and hatred for the bandits for my training.
That's right after the 5th month the bald bandits leader, Lurt, had one of the bandits teach me how to use daggers. These were purely for self defense, so we focused primarily on dodging and deflecting. I had expected it to be complete nonsense, but Sev which was short for Seven due to him only being able to handle 7 drinks before he passed out. He apparently used to be a B rank adventurer before he lost his party in a dungeon and when no one would party up with him again thinking he was bad luck, he joined up with Lurt.
Needless to say even I could tell that the guy was skilled with daggers, so I would learn as much as I could from him. With combat training and my own work out routine, I was beginning to form muscles even though I was only 5. Though I was almost 6, Colt's or my birthday now, was in March. March 22 to be exact. Not like it mattered, it was just another reminder that I needed to get out of here. I didn't want to be bandit healer my whole life.
I was brought out of my thoughts as the blade of Sev's dagger sliced my wrist causing me to drop my dagger.
"Shit, that hurt!" I felt the pain surge from the wound and I quickly rushed healing mana to cut to close it. Only Sev didn't let up and I had to jump back to dodge him deflecting his other blade with the one dagger I had left.
"No breaks brat! It's a good thing you can heal yourself, it makes the training fun for me too." He said with a sadistic smile as he continued to press me. All I could do was continue to retreat and deflect any of the potentially lethal strikes he sent. I knew he wasn't going 100%, I had seen him carve up adventurers twice my size and twice as fast as me like they were just training dummies.
I eventually got him to circle me back around to where I had dropped my dagger, all the while healing any heavy bleeding cuts he managed to score on me. He did a quick slashing a combo that I knew he always followed up with a kick so braced myself. Already healing the deep gash to my side and rolled with the kick. I threw my remaining dagger as I flipped backward from the kick on to my stomach which just so happened to obscure the dagger I had previously dropped.
Sev easily deflected my dagger and I cursed my stupidity. Did I really think that thrown dagger would do anything to him? He laughed as he walked closer, daggers hung loose to either side.
"C'mon kid what have I told ya bout losing yer weapons. 3 strikes, now get up at least you don't scar." He waved a dagger in a stand up motion, but I laid there for just a moment longer. I waited for him to drop it back down when I tried to sweep his legs only to be reminded of our size difference, when I all I got was a pain shooting through my leg. He didn't even budge, but when he knelt down sheathing one dagger to use that hand to grab my tattered shirt I shot my my hand out as fast as I could.
The concealed dagger gripped firmly in my right hand and I stabbed for his stomach. Only my small body failed me once again, his outstretched hand redirected and pinned my arm to the ground. He brought his other hand clutched around the hilt of his dagger forward and punched me in the face. My head rocked back and my vision swam, but I was already healing the damage. It had taken a long time but I no longer lost concentration for personal healing when pain was inflicted.
I tried to dodge the next punch and I did but earned myself a cut from the blade instead.
"One."
I kicked out with my feet just barely catching his stomach causing him to grimace slightly and growl. I didn't care if it barely did anything, I smiled showing my bloody teeth. And then I was rocked with another punch that was followed by a slash to my arm.
"Two. Aaaaand three!" He finished with a smile as he stabbed his dagger into the meaty flesh of my thigh expertly avoiding any major arteries.
"Trainings over for today kid. Bring me my dagger once you clean it." I was doubled over clutching my leg with tears stinging my eyes, holding back the sobs from the pain. It was all I could do to heal the other cuts and prevent anymore internal bleeding from the stab wound.
"Awww, does the poor baby need some help?" He said in a mocking tone as he dropped back down and gripped the handle of the dagger. He pulled down only a little bit it easily split the skin and flesh in its path and I screamed in pain. Trying not to move to much and cause the blade to do more damage.
"Enough Sev, need 'im for the raid today. Merrick caught wind of a small caravan passing through soon." Lurt came to my rescue not that he actually cared about my well being other than being able to heal the other bandits. I almost sighed in relief only to be met by blinding pain as Sev ripped the dagger out of my thigh with a laugh.
"Sure thing boss." He said while wiping off his daggers and sheathing them both.
"Hurry up brat, you're proving your loyalty today." Lurt spoke but I was too focused knitting back the flesh that Sev's dagger has cut. A sharp kick to the side sent me rolling but I was mostly done with the healing already.
"Haven't i already proved myself? I've healed every person you've put in front of me. Even the women that the guys were too… "enthusiastic" with." He nodded as if this was obvious before replying.
"Ohhh yes and it's much appreciated of course, of course. However you're going to participate in the battles from now on to earn your keep." I went to protest that surely I do already earn my keep but the look in his eyes told me that wouldn't be a smart thing to say, so I just nodded.
"Good! Good! We leave in 5, be ready." He gave me one last boot to my side and walked off.