Julius walked through the village and followed the river. He saw a group of people setting up a camp just outside the village and close to a small forest.

  “Seems like Faber wasn’t lying.” Approaching the camp carefully, he hid behind houses, ruins, and trees. He stopped at a bush, just about 50 yards from the camp.

  “Tsk, those fucking bastards… I thought they wouldn’t come back after last night.”

  Footsteps scraped closer.

  “Alright, alright. I’ll get the damn branches.”

  “Shit-” Julius hid in the bush.

  The bandit walked past the bush where he hid, so he followed behind him while untying his sword belt.

  While the bandit picked a branch off the ground, Julius wrapped the belt around his neck.

  He tried to reach for Julius’s eyes. After a brief struggle, Julius twisted the bandit’s head and snapped his neck.

  “One down, eh?” He sighed and hid the dead body in the forest, searching his pockets and stripping him of his clothes.

  He found a dagger in the bandit’s pockets. He also wore his clothes and bandana.

  Later, when the night fell, he listened and waited for an opportunity.

  “It's getting dark, man, where the fuck is he?”

  “Hey, you two. Go look for him. The two of us will stay here at the camp.”

  The two bandits left the camp and entered the forest. Julius knew it was his opportunity to strike.

  One bandit entered a tent, while the other observed the surroundings.

  It was dark outside. Julius used it to his advantage; he threw a stone as a distraction.

  “The fuck was that… Hey! Who’s there!?”

  Nothing could be heard anymore. Except his heart pounding through his chest.

  Then, a footstep behind him. But it was already too late.

  Julius stabbed him in the neck. He quickly lifted the corpse and hid it behind a small elevation in the ground.

  “Hey Eric, the fuck happened?” the other said, coming out of the tent.

  “You alright?”

  “Sure dude, all good out here.”

  “Hmm… alright then.”

  When he looked around in the darkness, a trace of blood was barely visible on the ground.

  “No way. Who are you?”

  “...”

  “Answer me! How did you get those clothes?!”

  Saying nothing, Julius rushed at him with the dagger. The bandit pulled out a messer and parried the stab.

  Their blades bounced back, Julius kicked him in the gut without hesitation. He fell to the ground and dropped the sword.

  “Agh!” Julius sat down on his chest, while the bandit struggled to breathe and fight him off. He punched him to death, his knuckles bruised and bled.

  Pausing for a moment, he sighed deeply, taking a look at his hands.

  A pair of footsteps were heard to his left. He turned and saw two other bandits staring at him.

  “Hey Thomas, look!”

  “What the…”

  They pointed their blades at Julius and charged at him.

  “Watch out, assholes!” He launched the dead corpse at both of them.

  Thomas hit the ground, the other dodged and kept charging.

  In the process of disarming him and throwing his sword aside, Julius suffered a cut on his forearm.

  “You motherfucker-” Julius hit him in the mouth before he could finish the sentence. They traded blows, then grappled. Thomas kicked him across the face from behind, making him drop to his knees.

  “Argh!” He spat blood and got back up. Thomas blocked his kick but got caught by another one that dropped him. The other found his sword in the grass and attempted to stab Julius, he dodged and the bandit suffered a blow to the eye socket.

  Snatching his sword from him, Julius slit his throat.

  “You really had to make me do it, Thomas.”

  “Who the fuck are-”

  He chopped his head off, then sat down in silence.

  He built a fire and burned the dead. The blood from his nose and knuckles dried up. The tents were mostly empty, except for a few coins, a map and a dead woman inside.

  “Unbelievable,” he muttered as he took a closer look.

  “Seems like she died this morning. The corpse isn’t cold but rather cool…”

  “I don’t recognize her either. Must’ve been their companion or a slave. Gosh-”

  He added her corpse to the fire. Then burned whatever was left. Without falling asleep, he sat by the fire till morning arrived and began walking home.

  He blinked heavily; each step felt like it might be his last. All of a sudden, a group of 30 armed men riding horses stood on his path.

  “Hahaha, what have we got here lads?” Julius just walked past him, shoulders slumped, appearing uninterested.

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  “Stop right there.” Julius felt something cold press on his neck, slowly turned his head, and saw a sword pointed at him.

  “I’m not looking for trouble,” he said cautiously.

  “Mhm, you say that but you look like you just made it back from war, haha!” The men laughed at him.

  “Wait a minute, I know you. You are the guy that owned that dojo around these parts, eh?”

  The man tapped his shoulder with the blade.

  “This should be fun. Get on your knees, bitch.”

  “Beat him up, Dominic!”

  “Punch his fucking nose in!”

  “Shut the fuck up!”

  Julius dropped to his knees.

  “So… what was your name again? Boy?” Dominic circled him.

  “Julius.”

  “Oh, Julius! What a name,” he chuckled.

  “Tell me, Julius. Who do you think you are?”

  “What?”

  “I said, who do you think you are?”

  “Dominic? Was it? Do you have a problem with me?”

  Stepping in front of Julius, he slid his sword back into the sheath and bent down to get into his face.

  “You disgust me. Acting like you are some fucking warrior, doing your little martial arts. Building your little dojo… with three damn students.”

  The others giggled.

  “Out of all the people in this disgusting village, you irritate me the most. Julius.”

  “That so?”

  “Most certainly. Now beg me not to fuck you up, boy.”

  He did not respond.

  “Hey, you heard me, bastard?!”

  No response.

  “So that’s how you want it huh.”

  Dominic spat into his face.

  Julius’s facial expression went from exhaustion to rage in the span of a second. He wiped the saliva off his face.

  “You fucking bitch-” Dominic threw a punch at him. Julius caught it. Stood up and grabbed his arm, throwing him down to the ground.

  “Why you! Get him, kill that fucking bastard!”

  Julius jumped into the river, the current carrying him back to the forest.

  “Go you fuckers, GO!” They all followed after him with their horses. Julius got out at a safe distance and ran into the forest.

  “There he is! He ran inside the forest!” The pursuit continued on foot, leaving their horses behind.

  Julius ran as fast as he could for a minute, then paused to catch a breath, breathing heavily as an arrow barely missed him and hit the tree above him.

  “There! Shoot him!” With no other plan, he ran until he found a tree to climb.

  Droplets of water dripped from his soaked clothes, hitting the ground underneath the branches.

  “Where did he go?”

  “Anybody saw him?”

  “I don’t know man…”

  “Let’s split up!”

  They split up into a couple groups. When they were far enough, he climbed down and slowly walked back out the way he entered the forest.

  “That fucking bastard!” Julius heard just around the corner. He picked up a handful of dirt from the ground and peeked to see who was there.

  “I’ll fucking torture him for this! He will SUFFER!” Dominic yelled.

  He emerged from the corner.

  “Hey, you talking about me?” His hand remained hidden as he exhaled sharply. Dominic turned around and got off the horse.

  “How- No way. How did you survive my men?”

  “Don’t worry, they are in a better place now.”

  “WHAT!” He drew his sword.

  Julius laughed.

  “What happened? Are you afraid without your little dogs? Are you perhaps… weak? Dominic?”

  “What did you say!” He charged him head on, then tripped over when Julius threw dirt in his eyes.

  He scoffed as Dominic panted.

  “Look at you, Dommy. Fucking pathetic,” he kicked his face, making his nose bleed.

  “You come here every fucking month and demand these poor people to give you half of what they have. I can’t even imagine how many more poor people you stole from, killed or beat half to death.”

  Dominic squirmed on the ground and rubbed his eyes. Julius held him up and kneed him in the face. He attempted to punch him blindly, but Julius lifted him and slammed him to the ground.

  “Argh! Fuck!” Dominic cried out.

  “I told you, I wasn’t looking for trouble. But you just had to keep pushing it didn’t you. Dominic?”

  Julius picked his sword up, then swung at him.

  “No, no… NO!”

  “What did you do?!” Blood dripped from his right eye down his chin.

  Before he could swing again…

  **Thump**

  Julius woke up.

  He opened his eyes and looked around. He was tied up. In motion.

  “Fucking hell, my head is killing me.”

  “Don’t worry, it won’t be the only thing that hurts.”

  Julius looked up and saw a man riding a horse, with a piece of cloth tied up around his head.

  When he looked down, he realised he was stripped of his clothes, and on the back of a horse.

  “Oh my God it’s Julius…”

  “Julius!”

  He heard voices calling his name all around him. Then, the galloping horses came to a halt. They took him off the horse and placed him on his knees.

  “Shut up, all of you!”

  “We planned to take your shit today, yet again. But… we were interrupted. Isn’t that right, Julius?”

  The man turned around and faced Julius.

  “Dominic?”

  “Ah, so you finally realized huh?”

  “Listen up you poor bastards! This man right here should serve as an example to what happens when you disobey me. Watch very closely.”

  Dominic hit Julius with a punch straight to the gut.

  “NO! Stop it!” a woman from the crowd ran toward them.

  “Grab her.”

  Two men held her in place. Dominic approached her slowly.

  “Who the fuck are you, to tell me what to do?”

  “Let him go, please!”

  Dominic slapped her, knocking her to the ground.

  “Dolores! No!” Julius charged at Dominic.

  “Do not lay your hands on her, you hear me? Dominic!”

  A man dropped him. Pinning him to the ground. Dominic pressed his foot directly to his face.

  “Everyone! Behold. These are the consequences that one suffers when they disobey me.”

  Dominic took a small knife from his pocket.

  “Get him on his knees.” The man lifted him up.

  “An eye for an eye. Am I right, Julius?”

  “Please stop this!” Dolores yelled.

  Dominic stabbed his right eye.

  “AGH!” Julius cried out.

  “No!” Dolores screamed.

  The crowd gasped.

  “I really hope this made you idiots realize not to fuck with me.”

  Dominic continued, while everyone watched in disbelief.

  “Next time, instead of an eye, I will take someone’s life.”

  Leaving Julius in a pool of blood, they galloped out of the village on their horses.

  “This time, you got off easy, people.” He vanished under the morning light.