As the fighting outside was nearing its end, Sol stood at the back exit of the main building, away from all the chaos, looking at a small mound.
"At least now they will give back to the world in the form of nutrients."
"M-m-monster…"
A bruise-covered Zayn shuddered as he dangled in the air, wrapped around by metal chains. The chains weren't attached to anything but floated in the air. Sol had taken them from the prison downstairs a while back and was curious to see how well [Terra Manipulation] handled metal. Needless to say, it worked just as well but with a few downsides.
Metal wasn't as plentiful around him as stone and earth, making it hard to use in large quantities. It also felt different to control compared to normal earth, which had a more clay-like feeling. Metal felt like dry clay, and while it was still possible to move and even bend it however he wanted, if he wasn't careful it would snap, though that could be useful in its own way.
"At least monsters won't mutilate hundreds of people; they will give them a swift death. Doesn't that make you worse than monsters?"
Sol had long stopped seeing these bandits as human; he didn't even consider them animals. What they did was beyond redemption in his eyes, and it was his job to enact justice on behalf of those hurt by them. Beyond their actions, Sol's mood was also awful because, even though he saved the townsfolk, those combatants who had their arms amputated would not be able to get them back. Magic that regenerates limbs was rare because of how difficult it was to perform. Only advanced magic users were able to cast such spells, and the other alternative, potions, were also extremely expensive.
As things stood, there was no way for Sol to help them regain their limbs, and the thought of that plagued his mind. What would they do when they returned to Chilton? Nothing. All they could do when they returned was live out the rest of their lives handicapped. They would need constant assistance from their loved ones, and if they had no one to lean on, they would have to pray the community helps them.
"Please just kill me already…"
Zayn's pleas snapped him back to the present, and Sol turned around to finish the last loose end.
"Sure, just answer one question. Who told you to capture them? If you answer honestly, I'll make your death as painless as possible."
Zayn froze as he heard the offer. Not because it resulted in his death regardless, but because it would finally be over. In the past five minutes, he had seen all his allies die in various ways, some swift but others excruciatingly painful. The worst of which was when Sol tried to use [Basic Psychic Mastery] to dig through one of the bandits' minds to gain a better understanding of the skill. [Reinterpret] couldn't simulate the minds of others, making practicing the skill a very slow process.
For his first attempt at infiltrating the mind of another person, it went about as well as one would expect. What Sol originally wanted was to simply comb through the bandit's memories, but his technique was so poor it was akin to using a rusty spoon to perform surgery. The bandit wailed and screamed throughout the slow process until his mind was completely shredded to pieces. Sol was only able to see some glimpses of the bandit's memories by the end of it, but it was nothing useful. He hoped to find the information he was currently asking for with this method, but it appeared he needed more practice before he could do that.
Luckily, he left Zayn alive as a backup, who eagerly accepted his offer.
"It was the orcs! A small group of them crossed the border and gave us an offer! If we give them 5000 humans every month, they will give us supplies, weapons, and even a safe haven if we get caught and have to retreat!"
Sol raised an eyebrow in intrigue. "How will they take them back with them? Is the old path accessible again?"
"Please, I answered your question! Kill me!"
The chains wrapped around Zayn tightened as they dug into his skin.
"You're in no place to negotiate. Answer the question."
Zayn let out a small gasp as he felt the air being squeezed out of his lungs from the pressure. It wasn't tight enough to choke him but tight enough that he would feel a perpetual lightheadedness. Not soon after, he yielded.
"Okay! Okay!"
Sol controlled the chains to loosen and allow Zayn to take a deep breath.
"The old path is still too treacherous. No one below B-Rank can make that journey. The orcs discovered a large labyrinth of tunnels recently that they believe encompass the entire Orna Mountain range. They only recently charted a path that led to an exit nearby here."
"Where is the entrance?"
"I don't know! I swear! I told you everything I know!"
"I see. Is there anything else you haven't told me?"
"No!" He shook his head vigorously.
Sol tapped his chin pensively. "So you just happened to forget to mention that they are coming to take the townsfolk tomorrow morning? I'm sure it didn't slip your mind because you wanted me to stay looking for the tunnel entrance and stumble into the orc army, right?"
Zayn's face paled. 'How does he know?!'
He left that small detail out in hopes that after his death, Sol would stay near the area and stumble into the orc army. Their forces would surely be stronger than the bandits', and he hoped it would be enough to kill the monster before him. It was his final act of revenge, but even that was thwarted.
Being caught in his final lie, Zayn trembled, thinking he would not get the easy death he craved.
Sol activated his Lipon and a fire blade formed. He thought for a moment before saying, "You thought you could pull a fast one on me. I should make your final moments pure agony, but you should consider yourself lucky."
He swung his flaming sword without the use of any skill. It cut cleanly through Zayn's neck, finishing him in a single moment.
'You're lucky the main fight is almost over and you have an interesting talent skill.'
Sol needed time to siphon talent skills, and while he had already taken the regular skills of the other bandits he killed, he didn't have the time to take all their talent skills. Sol braced himself for the eventual pain as he began the process.
'No pain, no gain.'
[Attempting to siphon [Impact Bubble]...]
[0%...40%...80%...100%]
'So fast?'
Completely outside of Sol's expectations, the skill reached 100% in four seconds.
[Assimilating talent skill. (Note: This may hurt)]