Ironblade [LitRPG, Progression Fantasy]

[Keralin]

What does it take to build a sanctuary when the whole empire wants you dead?

Daniel Thorne was supposed to be a dead man. Eleven years ago, he broke his oath, turned his blade against the corrupt empire he once served, and fled into the borderlands to save a low-born village baby. Since then he has survived as a lone wolf, relying on his sword to keep his adopted daughter safe.

But the peace will not last. When Daniel takes a contract for Kian Rovan, an illegitimate noble quietly building a rogue army, he's pulled straight into the center of a brewing rebellion. With the looming threat of predatory guilds and rival empires preparing for war, the region is a powder keg ready to blow.

To guarantee his daughter's future, an old soldier will defy the crown and carve a place of his own, no matter what it takes.

 

[Keralin]

The first arrow split the lead driver's throat before he could finish his yawn, while the second shattered the wooden frame of the front wagon, showering Daniel in splinters.

"Maeve get down!" Daniel yelled.

Sat right behind Daniel on the saddle of their horse, the twelve year old girl quickly flattened her body against the horse's back and covered herself with a round shield.

From the trees came the snap of bowstrings, and several caravan guards were quickly hit. One took an arrow straight through the eye, the iron tip punching straight through the back of his skull, while another clutched a punctured lung, spitting blood before he hit the ground. Daniel lunged forward, unsheathing his blade just as an arrow flew towards his chest. He shifted his shoulders just enough to catch the shaft on the flat of his blade. The impact rattled his arm but the arrow fell harmlessly to the ground. He swung his blade again, knocking a second arrow down before it touched his mount.

Figures in hooded cloaks emerged from behind the trees. They wore tattered grey cloaks and white masks marked with a red line, armed with an assortment of weapons. The caravan guards panicked, shouting and cursing, but they drew their weapons and fought back because they knew running meant dying.

Daniel guided his horse into the gap between the lead wagon and the attackers, planting himself squarely between them and the client who paid for his protection. He kept Maeve tight against him as three attackers rushed in.

The first attacker lunged low, aiming for the horse's front leg, but Daniel dropped his weight and caught the curved blade on his crossguard. He twisted his wrist to lock the metal, shoving the iron pommel of his sword directly into the center of the mask. As the man staggered back, Daniel drew his sword in and drove it straight into his throat.

Enemy slain: Unknown Bandit
Enemy Level: 3
XP Gained: 130 XP

He yanked the sword free as he turned the horse towards the next threat. The man slashed at his leg, but Daniel pulled the horse back so the strike slid past. He closed the distance and brought the sword down on the attacker's shoulder. The force of the blow dropped the man instantly.

Enemy slain: Unknown Bandit
Enemy Level: 4
XP Gained: 200 XP

Daniel swept the notifications away with a thought, clearing his sight as he faced the last one. The third attacker hesitated, and Daniel used the chance to lean from the saddle and drive his sword straight into the man's stomach. He pulled the blade free and backed the horse into a safer position.

"Maeve, left side!" Daniel shouted.

Maeve popped out from behind her shield and hurled a small clay vial toward two attackers trying to flank them. The vial shattered against a boulder, spraying a pungent liquid that instantly ignited into a bright orange flame. The fire caught the tip of one attacker's cloak and he shrieked, thrashing wildly to extinguish the alchemical mixture while the others fell into chaos.

"Good job," Daniel said, his eyes scanning the perimeter. "Stay low."

Behind Daniel, the carriage door suddenly flew open. Joshua, the wealthy merchant who'd hired him, stepped out with surprising speed, mace in hand. One of the bandits swung an axe at him but Joshua dodged the strike, caught the attacker by the collar of his cloak, and slammed him face first into the iron-rimmed wheel of the wagon. Before the man could recover, Joshua brought his mace down and ended the fight.

"Mr. Thorne, you're one irresponsible father!" Joshua shouted over the noise. "If I brought my daughter into this mess, my wife would've killed me!"

"I know!" Daniel yelled back. "But she's safer with me than anywhere else!"

The battle grew louder as more figures rushed out. Horses kicked and fought their harnesses, and one of the back wagons went up in flames, sending black smoke into the air. Guards fell screaming under arrows and blades, and Daniel was soon forced back as a massive attacker charged at him.

"Die!" the bandit roared.

Daniel pressed the horse forward, but the mount slipped in the mud and lurched sideways. Daniel lost his balance and the man's kick caught him straight to the ribs, throwing him into the ground. The bandit raised his axe high, ready to end it.

Maeve quickly reacted and threw a small object that struck the man square in the face. It exploded into a thick cloud of powder, and the bandit roared, dropping his weapon as he clawed at his eyes while the powder burned through the slits of his mask. Daniel ignored the pain and drove his sword upward under the man's chin. The massive attacker paused for a moment before collapsing under the force of the strike.

"We're losing the defensive circle!" Joshua shouted nearby.

The merchant was locked in a brutal duel with a bandit who moved with terrifying speed. Daniel jumped on his horse and told Maeve to hide behind her shield again before cleaving through another bandit who tried to intercept him.

Daniel quickly rode towards Joshua, trying to assist. Another bandit rushed toward him from the smoke, his blade aimed directly at Maeve's position, but Daniel deflected the strike with a backhand sweep that sent the enemy's sword flying into the bushes. Without missing a beat, Daniel brought his blade down across the man's chest. The bandit fell backwards into the dirt, coughing up blood as his life drained into the ground.

Daniel checked on Maeve, ensuring that she was still tucked tight. To the left, a young caravan guard named Thomas was backed against a burning wheel, his sword trembling as two bandits circled him like wolves. Daniel spurred his mount forward, clearing the distance in a few strides. Before the first bandit could react, Daniel's sword sliced through the man's neck and dropped him in a single motion.

The second bandit tried to turn and strike back, but the momentum of Daniel's horse slammed into him, knocking him flat onto his back. Daniel leaned low in the saddle and drove his sword straight through the man's mask, pinning his head to the ground.

"Stay behind the cart Thomas!" Daniel yelled. The young guard nodded frantically, scrambling through the mud to pull a dropped spear from the fingers of a dead comrade.

The battlefield had become a slaughterhouse. The attackers were relentless, pouring from the trees as if they had an endless source of people.

Every muscle in Daniel's arms burned from the constant fighting, but his old training kept his strikes efficient. He could see the small notifications blinking at the edge of his vision, the system recording the body count, but he ignored them in order to focus on the battle.

Joshua was still fighting near his carriage, his fine silks torn and streaked with blood. Another bandit pressed him hard, his twin daggers flashing and forcing him back step by step. Joshua parried a strike aimed at his throat, but the force of a follow‑up kick sent him stumbling over the body of a fallen horse.

The caravan was completely in chaos, the defensive circle destroyed by the sheer volume of the bandits, leaving only a handful of survivors fighting in small isolated pockets. Daniel knew they couldn't hold the line much longer. They needed to break through the blockade or face annihilation in some random stretch of road.

"Hold on tight," Daniel muttered to Maeve, his hand tightening on the reins as he prepared to charge toward Joshua's position. "We're breaking out."

Turning the horse's head towards the carriage, Daniel snapped the reins and the horse leaped forward.

"Break out! Follow me!" he shouted to the last few caravan guards. He pointed his sword straight toward Joshua's position. Everything depended on this single charge to get to the open road.

Suddenly, a new figure stepped right into the middle of the path. He wasn't dressed like the others. Dark iron plates covered his shoulders and a solid black mask shaped like a grinning skull hid his face. A massive black sword dragged through the mud at his side until he lifted it with one hand and leveled it at Daniel, blocking the only way out.

A bright red notification flashed at the edge of his vision.

Bandit King Vane - Level 14.

"Interesting," Vane said with a scratchy voice. "You move exactly like a soldier from the Rovan army, mercenary."

"I'm just a man with a contract," Daniel said. "The Empire and I parted ways long ago."

Vane chuckled. He slowly lifted his left hand and adjusted the collar of his shoulder plates, pulling it aside to reveal a faint branded spear mark on his neck. "The Empire doesn't care about men like us. They send us to die and forget our names."

Joshua stepped up beside Daniel's horse. "You're blocking our path, bandit. Get out of the way, or I'll cave that mask straight into your face."

Vane ignored the merchant entirely, his eyes remaining fixed on Daniel. "I have no personal grudges with a brother of the army. Take the girl and walk away. Leave the merchant and the wagons to my men, and you live to see tomorrow."

"I've already signed the parchment," Daniel replied. "I have a contract, and I won't break my word unless I plan to lose all credibility in the mercenary circle. Right now, I still need my reputation."

Vane nodded. "A shame." He raised his massive sword with both hands, his posture shifting into a guard stance. "Fine. Let's see if you remember your training."

Daniel dug his spurs into the horse's flanks, pushing the mount forward in a burst of speed. He leaned low in the saddle, his sword flashing out in a clean horizontal strike aimed right at Vane's throat.

Vane shifted his sword and caught Daniel's blade on the thick part of his weapon. The impact sent a hard jolt up Daniel's arm, numbing his fingers.

Before Daniel could pull back, Joshua rushed in from the left. The merchant swung his mace with a two-handed downward stroke meant to shatter Vane's shoulder. Vane didn't even look. He pivoted slightly, letting the mace bounce off his plated shoulder before driving his right fist into Joshua's chest.

The punch landed with a dull thud. Joshua flew backward, sliding several feet through the mud before crashing heavily against the wheel of a burning cart. He coughed violently, struggling to get air back into his lungs.

Vane turned his attention back to Daniel and swung his sword in a sweeping motion. Daniel dropped flat against the horse's neck, the massive blade whistling so close it nearly sheared a lock of hair from his head. Right after, the flat of Vane's blade slammed hard into the side of the horse's head. The horse whined in pain, lost its footing, and crashed heavily into the mud.

Daniel threw himself aside, catching Maeve in his arms as they hit the ground.

"Dad!" Maeve gasped, her hand reaching into her satchel for her last potion.

"No! Save it!" Daniel said, his voice raw as he scrambled to his feet, lifting his sword just in time to block a downward chop from Vane. The weight of the blow forced Daniel to one knee, his boots sinking deep into the mud. Vane forced him down with raw crushing strength, and Daniel's muscles screamed and his vision blurred as he tried to fight back.

Daniel and Joshua exchanged a quick look. Joshua was back on his feet, but he was leaning heavily to one side, clutching his ribs and breathing in ragged gasps. They were completely outmatched. Vane wasn't even using any skills, he was dominating them through literal stats.

Around them, the remaining caravan guards began to panic. "Fuck, I'm out of here!" one exclaimed, dropping his sword and turning around. Before he could take three steps, an arrow from one of the bandits punched straight through his chest, dropping him instantly to the ground.

Vane shifted his weight, pushing his blade further down toward Daniel's chest. "Your contract is void. Surrender the merchant and I might let you go."

"Don't listen to him, Thorne!" Joshua yelled, lifting his mace again despite his injuries. "These bandits never hold up to their promises!"

Daniel looked past Vane's shoulders and saw a line of bandits holding the blockade behind their leader. They were relaxed, watching the fight like it was entertainment.

With a sudden scream of effort, Daniel pushed Vane's sword to the side, using the last of his strength to kick a chunk of mud straight into the slits of his mask. Vane stepped back, his head shaking as he wiped the sludge from his eyes.

"Now!" Daniel roared.

Maeve jumped from behind Daniel, her arm spinning in a perfect circle as she launched her last vial over Vane's head. The vial sailed true, smashing squarely in the center of the bandits holding the blockade. It burst into a spray of powder that instantly filled the air, causing them to cough and blind themselves as they scattered in confusion.

Daniel grabbed Maeve by the collar, hauling her up against his side as he charged forward on foot. Joshua ran right beside him, his mace swinging in wild arcs to clear the way.

A bandit charged forward, his curved sword raised to strike. Joshua quickly brought his mace down on the man's wrist, shattering the bone, then drove the iron weapon into the side of the man's knee. The bandit collapsed with a shriek.

Daniel sliced straight through the leather armor of another bandit who tried to block their path, his sword punching through the man's chest.

He ripped the blade out without looking, his eyes fixed on the gap in the trees just past the blockade. Two surviving caravan guards tried to follow them, but Vane had recovered. He let out a furious roar before lunging forward, his sword cleaving the two men at the waist.

"Keep moving! Don't look back!" Daniel yelled, shoving Joshua and Maeve ahead.

The screams of the guards began to fade behind them, replaced by the sound of their boots and the gasping of their breath. Only one caravan guard, Thomas, managed to escape with them, his face completely pale and his spear gone.

They ran blindly through the forest, pushing deeper until their legs could no longer carry their weight. Finally, Daniel dropped to one knee behind a massive fallen tree, his chest heaving as he gasped for air. He immediately pulled Maeve into his arms, checking her over for wounds. She was covered in mud and soot while her small hands were shaking.

"You hurt?" Daniel said, his hand pressing against his own bruised ribs.

"I'm okay," Maeve whispered, her voice cracking as she leaned into his chest. "But we lost Booboo."

"The horse is in a better place now," Daniel said, his voice light.

Joshua sank against the trunk of a tree, his silk clothes completely ruined, face pale from exhaustion and pain. Thomas sat a few feet away, staring blankly at his own bloody hands, shaking uncontrollably. Out of the entire caravan, they were the only ones left.

***

Vane stood perfectly still, his sword resting on his shoulder. He didn't follow Daniel and the others into the woods. He wasn't trying to. Instead, he reached into his armor and pulled out an old wanted poster, issued almost eleven years ago.

WANTED

Name: Daniel Thorne

Age: 22

Charge: Murder of seven Rovan soldiers, treason against the Empire, kidnapping of a child.

Reward: 1,000 gold coins, favor from the Rovan Empire.

Signed: Second Prince of Rovan

The sketch showed Daniel in his military armor, younger but still easy to recognize.

"The Empire still lies through its teeth," Vane said, smirking. "Takes guts to save a kid from them."

Vane looked at the path they vanished into. "Interesting… we'll meet again."

 

[Keralin]

Daniel sat with his back pressed against a fallen tree, his sword resting across his knees. His chest felt like it was tightening every time he took a breath.

With a thought, Daniel pulled up his stats. The blue holographic text flickered faintly before his eyes, invisible to everyone else.

Name: Daniel Thorne

Age: 33

Class: Swordsman

Affiliation: N/A

Level: 11 (13550/14265 XP)

Health: 154/200

Mana: N/A (Locked)

Strength: 23

Endurance: 20

Agility: 11

Perception: 18

Points to Assign: 0

He looked at his health bar. The number was ticking up slowly, but 154 was a bad spot to be in this deep in the woods. His Endurance stat was high enough to grant a decent natural recovery rate, but the battle earlier had done a real number on his ribs. He pulled back his leather vest, wincing as he inspected the dark purple bruising spreading across his side.

"Damn it," Joshua muttered from a few feet away. The merchant was sitting in the dirt, trying to use a handkerchief to clean the mud from his ruined sleeves. "Wiped out. All my shit. The guards, the drivers, the crates. All because of some stupid bandits. The guild is going to kill me."

"Everything can be replaced," Daniel said. "You're breathing. If you lost your life it doesn't matter how much you earned."

"Easy for you to say, mercenary," Joshua snapped, though there was more exhaustion than anger in his voice. He leaned his head back and groaned. "When I hit that big brute of a guy with my mace, it felt like striking a mountain. My Strength is fifteen. Fifteen! This is enough to even hurt level 20 warriors, and this Vane is only level 14."

Daniel adjusted his sword. "Might be his stats, Joshua. Vane is level fourteen, but his stats are probably optimized for physical strength. He has iron armor, a massive sword, and his raw strength is probably pushing thirty or higher. If a man shifts all his free points into Strength and Endurance while ignoring everything else, he hits like a catapult. Your fourteen strength doesn't mean a thing if his body and armor blocks the entire impact."

Thomas, the young guard who had managed to run with them, suddenly let out a ragged sob. He was sitting on a rock, his knees pulled tight to his chest, his hands shaking so violently he could barely keep them together.

"They're all dead," Thomas cried out. "Miller, Jax, old Gregory... they didn't even get to pull out their weapons. I saw Jax get hit by three arrows at once. Why did I run? I should have stayed. I should have fought beside them. I'm a damn coward."

Daniel looked at the boy. He had seen this look a thousand times during his years under the Rovan Empire. Survivor's guilt was probably the most common cause of suicide in the Rovan military.

"Listen to me," Daniel said. "Look at me."

Thomas slowly lifted his head, his eyes red.

"If you stayed, you'd be a corpse in the ground right now," Daniel said bluntly. "In a battle, knowing when to retreat is a survival skill, not cowardice. Don't waste your breath crying over a fight that was lost the second the first arrow flew. If you truly want revenge, become stronger and kill those bandits yourself instead of feeling guilty."

Joshua sighed, rubbing his temples. "He's right, kid. If you threw your life away back there, you'd just be another pile of meat for the crows."

Joshua turned back to Daniel, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Vane recognized your style, called it an imperial stance or something. He even said he was in the Rovan military. Who the hell are you really?"

Daniel didn't answer right away. He reached into his pouch, pulled out a small piece of dried jerked beef and handed it to Maeve, who was sitting quietly beside him. She grabbed it and took little bites as she listened.

"I was a captain in the Rovan Empire," Daniel said after a long silence. "Fifth Vanguard division. I spent a few years fighting their border wars, clearing out enemy camps, and securing resource nodes."

"A captain?" Joshua looked genuinely surprised. "Rovan captains usually get a comfortable salary and a small estate in a mid-sized city. Why are you out here taking escort contracts for some little coin?"

"Because the Empire is a meat grinder," Daniel said. "Those officials don't care about their own people, only the results. I watched my entire team get wiped out in a forest just like this one because some prince wanted to claim glory for himself. I took my daughter, broke my oath, and left before they could kill me."

Joshua looked at the ground, his expression darkening. "So that's why Vane is out here too. A rogue soldier. I met my fair share of Rovan soldiers who ran away from their post, but most are low ranks. I rarely see people like you or Rovan with such strength."

Daniel leaned his head back, pulling up his quest log to double check the contract.

Current Quest: Escort Joshua to Valewatch.

Objective: Safely guide the client to the city gates.

Time Remaining: N/A

Reward: 20 Gold Coins (5 Upfront, 15 Upon Completion).

"The contract is still active," Daniel said, looking over at Joshua. "But we lost the horses. Walking to Valewatch on foot through these woods will take us a few days, assuming we don't run into another gang of bandits."

Joshua let out a bitter laugh. "Thorne, look at me. My cargo is gone. The gold I had hidden in the wagon's floorboards is probably being divided up by those bandits as we speak. The rest of that reward money went up in smoke with my ledger."

Daniel's hand tightened slightly on the hilt of his sword, his eyes turning cold. "Are you telling me you can't pay the remaining gold? Because a contract is bound by the system. If you default, your reputation takes a permanent hit, and no mercenary from here to the coast will ever accept your contracts again."

"I'm not defaulting," Joshua said quickly, raising his hands in a defensive gesture. "I'm a merchant, Daniel. I know how it works. I have three storefronts inside the lower districts of Valewatch. The deeds are registered under my name and I keep emergency funds at home. When we arrive at the city of Valewatch, I'll go straight to my stores and take out the money to pay the rest of your contract. You'll get your gold, just not right away."

Daniel studied Joshua's face for a bit, checking for any telltale sign or shift in posture that would indicate a lie.

"Fine," Daniel said, nodding once. "We'll move after we rest for the day. Thomas, you take the first watch. If you see anything move, just scream and we'll wake up."

The young guard wiped his nose on his sleeve and nodded, grabbing a sturdy wooden branch from the ground to use as a makeshift club.

Daniel shifted his position against a tree, trying to find a spot that didn't put pressure on his bruised ribs. The health regeneration was slow, but it was working. 155/200. It would take all night to get back to full health.

Maeve crawled up right against his left side, away from his injured ribs, and curled her small body into a tight ball.

"Dad," she whispered as she raised her head to look at him. "Why did you lie to Mr. Joshua? You didn't leave the Rovan Empire like that." She looked up at him, eyes quivering. "You saved me when I was a baby… didn't you? You told me you fought your way out to save me. Half of your team sacrificed themselves to hold the line so you could escape… and the others tried to stop you from leaving."

"Rule number one," he said quietly. "Never tell anyone the full story. And rule number two, never trust anyone with your business. If you start sharing everything with every person you meet, it'll come back to bite you later."

Maeve lowered her eyes, thinking about it.

He reached out his hand and gently patted her shoulder, pulling her a little closer to his side.

Daniel sighed. She was only eleven, but she had already seen more blood and death than most city children saw in a lifetime.

"We're going to be fine, Maeve," Daniel said softly. "You did exactly what you were trained to do back there. That vial saved my life when that big bastard had me pinned. You were smart and you were fast."

"Booboo is not with us anymore," she muttered. "He was a good boy."

"He was," Daniel agreed. "But horses can be replaced. As long as I'm breathing, nothing is going to hurt you. We'll get to Valewatch, collect the rest of Joshua's coin, and we'll buy a hot meal at a nice inn."

Maeve let out a deep breath, her shoulders relaxing as she closed her eyes. She leaned the weight of her head against his arm, trusting him entirely to keep bad people away while she slept. Within minutes her breathing became slow and even.

Daniel soon closed his eyes, resting for tomorrow.

Chapter 2.5 - The Memory
The memory always started with the smell of burning wood. Eleven years ago, Daniel stood in the center of a dirt road wearing his Rovan armor, staring at the chaos around him in disbelief. This was not an enemy fort like he was told in the reports. It was a farming village, a random cluster of wooden huts tucked away in a valley not on any official maps.

His superiors had labeled it as a hostile outpost. What a joke.

Around him, the slaughter was in full swing. Men and women from the village fought back with nothing but rusty pitchforks and wooden axes, but they were completely out-leveled and outmatched by the trained soldiers.

"Clear the southern huts! Leave nothing alive!" a voice shouted through the noise.

Daniel turned his head, his hands clenching tightly around the hilt of his sword. Several members of his unit were tearing through the homes like rabid dogs. They were just harvesting XP from low level commoners who didn't even possess a combat class. Daniel felt a twisting sickness in his gut. He had spent his youth fighting enemy soldiers in actual skirmishes, where steel met steel and death was always near. This was just… butchery.

A high pitched shriek echoed from a nearby hut. Daniel watched a young woman stumble out into the dirt, clutching a bloody shoulder as she tried to pull a crying toddler behind her. One of Daniel's soldiers, a man named Jeremy, charged at her with a cruel smirk on his face.

Jeremy raised his spear, ready to end her life.

"Stop! Drop the spear, Jeremy!" Daniel roared. He lunged forward, grabbing Jeremy by the shoulder and pulling him backward with a heavy yank.

Jeremy stumbled, his spear dropping into the mud. He gave a furious glare toward Daniel. "What the hell are you doing, Captain? Our orders were clear. We kill everyone here, and we don't leave a single survivor."

"The order was to eliminate the hostile threat!" Daniel spat, his eyes blazing as he pointed his sword at the weeping woman and the child. "Look at them! These are not soldiers! They don't have weapons nor are they enemies! Leave the women and the children alone!"

"They're low life border rats!" another soldier named Linda shouted, wiping blood from her iron gauntlet as she stepped up beside Jeremy. "They pay taxes to the southern lords, not our emperor. That makes them enemies of the crown. If we leave them alive, they'll just become rebels. Move aside, don't block our chances to level up."

"I am the captain of this unit!" Daniel roared, stepping directly into the path of the two soldiers, his blade raised. "And I am ordering you to stand down! That is an official military command!"

Jeremy spat into the dirt. "You're soft, Thorne. This is why our levels are catching up."

Before the argument could escalate, a volley of arrows whistled through the smoke and struck the woman and the child. Another group of Daniel's unit had arrived, ignoring his orders entirely.

Before Daniel could explode in anger, a weak cough from a ditch to his left pulled his attention away. Through the burning smoke, he saw a woman slumped against a broken wall. Her stomach was torn open but she wasn't looking at her own wound. In her arms, wrapped in a dirty cloth was a baby girl. She couldn't have been more than a few months old, her tiny face red as she wailed in terror at the sounds around her.

Jeremy noticed the movement too. "There's another one. Let me finish it so we can complete our mission."

Daniel snapped. He lunged forward, kicking Jeremy's side, sending him flying several feet into a stack of burning hay.

"Back off!" Daniel yelled. "Everyone, back the fuck off!"

The soldiers around the massacre paused, their weapons lowering slightly as they turned to look at their captain. Daniel ignored their glares and scrambled down into the muddy ditch, dropping his sword to the side as he knelt beside the dying woman.

The mother's eyes were unfocused, but as Daniel's shadow fell over her, she clutched the baby closer to her chest. She looked up at him, her lips trembling as she choked on her own blood.

"Please," the woman whispered, her voice barely a gasp. "Please... spare her… innocent. She doesn't know… anything. Please… don't… kill my baby."

Daniel looked at the tiny child in the bundle. The baby's wide tear-filled eyes looked right back up at him.

"I promise you," Daniel said, sighing as he reached out and took the small bundle into his hands. "She will not be hurt."

The mother let out a breath of relief before slowly closing her eyes. "Her name… is Maeve…"

Daniel stood up, holding the baby against his breastplate.

"Thorne, you've completely lost your mind," a voice grunted from the edge of the ditch.

It was Marcus, the vice captain of the unit. He was a towering man with a scar across his lip, and his sword was already drawn. Several soldiers stood directly behind him with cold faces.

"That baby is a native to this valley," Marcus said, stepping forward. "The general wants this place wiped clean, so the child must die."

"I said no," Daniel replied, his hand resting against the baby's back to keep her safe. "I order you to stand down, Marcus. Return to the horses."

Marcus let out a mocking laugh. "Order me? You shouldn't have been given the captain's rank in the first place, Daniel. You just got lucky. You happened to stumble upon an important resource node during the last battle and the general handed you a promotion for it. But look at you. I'm level seven and you're level six. I'm not only just a full level higher than you, my stats also outclass yours in every category. I should've been the captain of this unit."

Several soldiers behind Marcus nodded, murmuring in agreement as they raised their weapons.

But before Marcus could move, another group of soldiers stepped forward, drawing their weapons and forming a wall between Marcus and Daniel.

"Hold your tongue, Marcus!" a soldier named Robert shouted, his shield raised high. "Rank is law in the Rovan military! Law recognizes the captain's authority, no matter what his level is. If you strike down a commanding officer, you'll become a criminal in the eyes of the crown. We follow Captain Thorne's orders!"

"Marcus!" Daniel shouted, his voice cracking as he held the baby close. "Look around you! Look at what we've done here! This is just a baby. We're supposed to be soldiers of the Rovan Empire, not demons from hell! If we start slaughtering children in their cradles, what difference is there between us and the evil cultists we fight in the north?"

Marcus sneered, his eyes locked on Daniel. "You want to talk about the empire? The empire wants results. The empire didn't grow to this point being soft hearted. It's fine though. I'll just take your head to the general myself and tell him how you disobeyed a direct command in order to protect an enemy."

Marcus unsheathed his blade and the soldiers behind him followed suit.

Robert and the loyal half of the team shifted their stances, locking their shields tight to protect Daniel. He looked at the backs of his loyal men and his heart felt incredibly warm for a brief second before turning cold. He knew they had no chance of winning. Marcus's loyalists are all higher level, some even as strong as him. His own captain rank really had been a product of luck instead of actual strength.

"Go, Captain," Robert said. "I've spilled enough innocent blood for the Empire. This is my chance to do something right. Get the girl out of here."

"Thank you," Daniel whispered to his team with a heavy voice. He turned and jumped on his horse, cradling the baby against his chest.

"Don't let him leave! Kill him!" Marcus roared.

As Daniel escaped, the sounds of his own men fighting and screaming slowly faded into the distance.

***

Daniel's eyes snapped open. He sat upward, his hand grabbing the hilt of his sword before his mind fully processed his surroundings.

Daniel let out a long breath, his hand relaxing. He wiped a layer of cold sweat from his forehead, his heart still hammering against his chest from the memory. He looked down and saw Maeve was still there, curled into a ball against his leg, her shoulders rising and falling peacefully.

He shifted slightly, his bruised ribs throbbing as his health bar flashed silently in his vision. 162/200. The natural regeneration had done its work while he slept, but he was still a way off from being fully healed.

Daniel leaned back and looked at the empty sky. He stayed awake, guarding the only thing in the world he couldn't afford to lose.

 

[Keralin]

The journey to Valewatch took nearly two days. Daniel insisted on staying off the main roads, in case there were any more bandits. When the trees finally thinned out, the massive stone walls of Valewatch stood over them.

Even though it was only a medium sized city in the Rovan Empire, it was absolutely massive compared to the border towns they usually traveled through. Around five hundred thousand people lived inside those walls, and tens of thousands of merchants, travelers, and refugees streamed in and out of the city every single day.

Daniel stood at the entrance, taking in the sight before him. The Rovan Empire was vast, containing over one hundred small border towns, forty medium sized cities just like Valewatch, and five massive cities that formed a defensive ring around the capital of the empire, Enetia. Valewatch is near the western end of the Rovan Empire, uncomfortably close to the ongoing border war against the Lionheart Empire.

However, it wasn't a strategically critical location because the empire maintained a heavily fortified fortress city further west to absorb any direct attacks. Because of that, Rovan nobles almost never pass by here. The city was managed instead by a low rank nobleman named Kian Rovan. Kian was well known throughout the region as an illegitimate child of the Emperor, meaning he virtually had zero political power or influence back in the capital. But here in Valewatch, the common people absolutely loved him. He spoke directly for the working class, kept taxes reasonable, and led a fiercely loyal local population.

"Move it along," a city guard grunted, waving them through the gates.

Daniel nodded, keeping a firm grip on Maeve's hand as they stepped into the crowded streets. The noise of the city hit them immediately. Hundreds of voices shouted, wagon wheels clattered over the cobblestones, and the smell of fresh bread was in all corners of the city.

Joshua pulled his ruined silk cloak tightly around his shoulders. "This way. One of my stores is in the merchant section of the city. It's not far from here."

They navigated through the crowds for ten minutes until Joshua stopped in front of a neat two-story stone building with a painted wooden sign out front. It was a high end clothing shop, filled with rolls of fine fabrics and tailored tunics displayed out front.

As soon as Joshua pushed the door open, a bell chimed loudly. A young male employee behind the counter looked up, his eyes widening in absolute shock as he recognized his boss. The clerk immediately dropped the fabric he was holding and scrambled out from behind the counter, fawning over Joshua.

"Master Joshua! Gods above, look at you!" the employee cried out, reaching for Joshua's mud stained sleeve. "We heard rumors that your caravan went missing! The guild masters said you might have gone off route! What happened to the silk crates? Where are the guards?"

"The caravan is gone, Peter," Joshua said, his voice flat as he raised a hand to cut the clerk off. "We were hit by a massive group of bandits, and pretty much all the guards are dead. I'll explain the details to the guild leaders later tonight. Those bandits must be hunted down. Right now, clear the back office. I need access to the coins."

"Right away, sir! Right away!" Peter said quickly, bowing his head.

Daniel, Maeve, and Thomas followed Joshua into a cramped room. Joshua walked straight to a heavy oak desk, moved a small decorative statue to the side, and pressed a hidden latch on the floorboards beneath it. A small iron box popped out from the hidden compartment. Joshua fished a small brass key from the lining of his boot and unlocked the box with a loud click.

Inside, rows of shiny gold coins caught the light.

Joshua reached in and counted out fifteen heavy gold pieces, stacking them neatly on the desk. He looked at the gold, then looked over at Daniel who was standing by the door with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Fuck it." He reached back into the iron box, grabbed another five gold coins, and slammed them onto the stack. "Take an extra five, Daniel. If you hadn't blinded that big brute when we escaped, my head would be sitting on a spike right now. You earned the bonus. Plus, buy something for your kid, she looks homeless."

The moment Daniel touched the coins, a screen flickered into existence in front of him.

Quest Completed: Escort Joshua to Valewatch.

Objective Met.

Reward Received: 15 Gold Coins + 5 Gold Bonus.

He swept the screen away with a thought, a sense of relief washing over his face as he swept the twenty gold pieces into his leather belt pouch.

Thomas stepped forward, his eyes still a bit hollow from the trauma of the ambush, but he looked better now. "Thank you for saving my life Mr. Thorne," the young guard said, looking at Daniel. "I'll grow stronger and take revenge for all my dead brothers."

"That's a smart choice," Daniel said, offering his hand. Thomas shook it firmly. "I better hear about your heroic tales soon."

"Haha," Thomas said, smiling. "I'll work hard for it."

Joshua shook Daniel's hand next. "If I ever need a strong blade in the future, Thorne, you'll be the first man I look for."

"Good luck with the guild, Joshua," Daniel replied.

With their goodbyes finished, Daniel and Maeve stepped out of the clothing shop and back onto the bustling city streets. The weight of the pouch against Daniel's hip felt incredibly good.

Maeve's entire demeanor shifted the moment they left the store behind. Now that the business was finished, she began skipping along the cobblestones. Her wide eyes darted to every single storefront, marveling at the sheer volume of goods on display. There were elixirs in glowing bottles, high-tier iron weapons on racks, and stalls filled with imported toys from the capital.

As they reached the food district, the scent of roasted meat and sweet pastries hit them like a wall.

Maeve stopped dead in her tracks and turned around slowly, looking up at Daniel with pleading eyes. Her stomach let out a loud growl that could be heard over the noise of the crowd.

Daniel couldn't help but laugh. He reached down and patted her head. "Alright. Let's go on a shopping spree."

For the next three hours, they moved from stall to stall like a pair of starving wolves. Daniel bought her thick skewers of roasted pork slathered in honey, fresh pastries filled with warm apple cream, a large bowl of beef stew with baked potatoes, and a variety of other snacks.

By the time the sun began to set, Maeve was walking slowly beside him, her small belly noticeably bulging beneath her clothes as she let out a satisfied sigh.

"I can't eat another bite, Dad," she mumbled, wiping some grease from her chin. "I think I'm going to explode."

"Let's find a place to sleep," Daniel laughed. "But don't lay down just yet, you have to let the food settle for a bit or you'll feel nauseous."

He led her deeper into the city until he found a decent looking tavern called The Sleeping Bear. The tavern floor was clean and the innkeeper looked like a tough grandpa who didn't tolerate rowdy behavior. Daniel paid seven gold coins to secure a room on the second floor for an entire week.

Between the food spree, which had cost a total of three gold coins due to the city's inflated border prices, and the tavern rent, Daniel sat down on the edge of the bed and did some mental math.

He had eighteen gold coins total before the escort job, counting the five he received upfront. He had received twenty from Joshua, bringing his total to thirty-eight. After spending ten gold today, he was left with exactly twenty-eight gold coins.

Daniel sighed, looking around the small room. An actual home inside a medium sized city like Valewatch cost well over five hundred gold coins. If they wanted a house in a small border town, it might be three hundred, while a home in a large city like Enetia would be completely impossible at thousands of gold pieces. His dream of taking Maeve out of the mercenary life and giving her a safe home was still completely out of reach. Traveling to other empires would be worse. They all used their own currencies, and his gold coins could lose most of their value once he crossed the border.

Maeve crawled onto the soft straw mattress, her eyes already heavy with sleepiness. She pulled the thick woolen blanket up to her chin and looked over at him. "Are we staying here for a while?"

"We're staying right here for a full week," Daniel said softly, walking over to tuck the blanket around her shoulders. "No running or bandits. You just rest and let your body recover. Once you feel better we'll tour the city."

"Goodnight, Dad," she whispered, her eyes closing almost instantly as she drifted off into sleep.

Daniel watched her for a moment before pulling up his stats to inspect his progression.

Name: Daniel Thorne

Class: Swordsman

Affiliation: N/A

Level: 11 (13550/14265 XP)

Health: 200/200

Mana: N/A (Locked)

Strength: 23

Endurance: 20

Agility: 11

Perception: 18

Points to Assign: 0

He was incredibly close to level twelve. He decided that after a week of rest, he would head over to the local mercenary guild branch and find a safer mission to complete, something like clearing out a dungeon of low level goblins or killing some beasts to sell. Anything was better than taking another long distance caravan on the open roads where all the bandits roamed.

He closed the screen, blew out the candle on the nightstand, and lay down on the mattress beside Maeve, his right hand still resting naturally near the hilt of his sword.

***

Down in the narrow alleyway near the tavern, two figures stood huddled in the shadows of a neighboring building, their cloaks pulled tight to hide their faces. One of them held an old crumpled piece of parchment, flattening it against the wall.

"Is that them?" a rough voice whispered.

"Yes," the second figure replied, his eyes tracing the sketch of Daniel's face on the wanted poster. "They checked into the tavern a few minutes ago. That old guy gave them a room on the second floor."

The first man let out a low chuckle. "The reward is a thousand gold coins straight from the Rovan Empire. It's a bit cheaper than the major bounties, but he shouldn't be too high of a level. If we hadn't found this wanted poster on those bodies a couple weeks back and confirmed it was still active, we never would've known about it. It's over eleven years old."

"He's probably not that important," the second one said, folding the paper and tucking it away. "He used to be part of the Rovan military though. Who knows how many people came for this bounty and failed from all these years. We'll gather the rest of the boys tonight and take him out while he's sleeping."

"Understood."