Random Merchant's POV
I was a merchant from another kingdom, here in the kingdom of Milham to do some trades. The goods and products here were top-notch, as expected—exquisite fabrics, spices that tingled your nose, and artifacts that could fetch a high price back home.
Night had fallen, and with a carriage loaded with expensive goods, I couldn't risk heading back. The thought of getting stopped by bandits sent a chill through me. Just imagining those bastards stripping me of everything I'd worked for, or worse—cutting me down right there and leaving me to rot—was enough to keep me indoors. So, I rented a room at a nearby inn and paid extra to keep my carriage and wares under guard.
But that night was anything but ordinary. I thought it'd be quiet, uneventful even—nothing to worry about. I was just about to drift off when I heard it: a rumbling of footsteps, faint at first, then growing louder, echoing off the stone streets outside.
