"Hey, friend uhh sir? I was just wondering where are you headed to.Ah, I mean ofcourse its obviously Kahldur but where after that." a man buried to neck said. He had rough oily brown hair and an unkempt beard. His face was full of bruises and dried blood. He was talking to a man sitting by the campfire. The man was drinking and seemed dozed of yet answered him calmly.
"To the capital. I'm back from my challenge and can't wait to see old fart's faces when i show 'em this."He lifted his right hand and made a circle in the air. Before his hand space bend on itself and something fell on the ground. It was an eliptoid mana core and it was brimming with bright blue mana. "Do you know what this is ?"
"I don't know esteemed sir." Even after long hours it was still a bit hard to breath underground.
"This, my friend, is a deviant ice troll's mana core. They are proof of my hardwork." Cole said while drinking what was left of the bottle of wine. He stood up and took the empty bottle with him. Cole came beside the bandit and with a demonic grin he said.
"Now my dear watcher, time to keep watch."
"Uhh, sir? yes ofcourse i mean." bandit said while looking at him warily.
Cole got a rope out of his storage space and put the ice troll's core back in. It was a Pure Mana Spell. Contrary to beliefs to use pure mana spells you would need to master your affinity magic. Then you could extract elemental part out of it and use only pure mana.
Cole held the bandit by his head and got him out with his earth spells help. He shaped some rocks to cuffs and cuffed his hands and feet.Cuffs were hardened again. They were certainly crude both design and material wise. But they were the best choice available. Cole dusted off his hands and then started to tie a rope around bandit's neck. Bandit's eyes went wide with horror and struggled.
"Aaaah No Please NOOO IM NOT A BAD GUY PLEASE I BEG YOU I WILL NEVER SMUG ANYO--"
Cole kicking him in the nuts said "Shut up already, i said i will make you my night watcher did i not ?". Cole tied the other end to bottle and hung the bottle to a tree branch right above them. As a last touch hardened the ground beneath them.
" Now i'm going to sleep if that bottle touches the ground, you're dead. If you notice monsters, bandits or a fucking clown and not warn me immediatly you're also dead."
"What's a clown ? " bandit said with a frown.
"You'll know when you see one" said Cole dead serious.
After getting a meek answer and a nod Cole turned back to campfire. He did not trust the bandit one bit but he did not need to. Bandit was just a bait. This was something Cole had done before and found to be quite useful.
Cole covered the fire with an earth spell. Then made a pyramid shaped shelter with the same earth spell. Lastly by dispersing the smell in the air with an air spell and he was done. He waved to his watcher and went to sleep.
It was quite a regretful day for the bandit leader.
A lone unarmed man was going to Kahldur from a mountainside village. When his men were about to rob this foolish guy. They were slaughtered in a various ways: some clutched their chests gasping for air, some were crushed between rocks and one was crushed by a rolling rock.
After that bandit leader tried to run for his life but he tripped. The stranger was strolling towards him. He got up but tripped again. Grooves were appearing where he stepped. He tripped and tripped again. And then stranger grabbed him by his shoulder and said. "Becareful you will hurt yourself." he helped him up, dusted him off.
"Plea--" Bandit tried to plead but stranger kicked him in the nuts, beat him up and dragged him to camp.
While bandit leader was reminiscing the day noises of sniffling and gibberish came from behind him.