Infiltration

I stared at the lifeless Kraglin child in my hands, my mind reeling.

This couldn't be real. I couldn't have just done that. My hands were trembling, and my heart pounded in my chest.

How had it come to this? The voices in my head continued their cruel chorus, accusing and condemning.

"No," I whispered to myself, shaking my head. "It wasn't supposed to be like this."

I looked up, my eyes meeting Sasha's and Jacob's. Their faces mirrored my horror, but there was something else there too—disgust, revulsion, and a hint of fear.

They were looking at me like I was the enemy.

'I didn't do it. I didn't. Don't look at me like that!'

Jacob was the first to move. He stepped forward, gently taking the dead Kraglin child from my hands.

His touch was surprisingly tender as he settled the child on the ground, propping it up in a sitting position against the house wall.

The sight of the lifeless body, so small and innocent, made my stomach churn. I wanted to scream, to run away from what I had done, but I was rooted to the spot.

'It didn't know. It couldn't have known.'

"Rybane, we need to move," Jacob's voice was firm but gentle, snapping me out of my stupor. He took the lead, and Sasha followed, casting one last troubled glance in my direction before falling in line.

I forced myself to move, my body feeling heavy and sluggish. My mind was a whirlwind of conflicting thoughts.

I hadn't meant to kill the child. It was just a kid—it didn't know right from wrong. But the voices wouldn't let up, reminding me of the townspeople I'd abandoned, the lives lost because of my decisions.

I felt like I was being torn apart from the inside.

We inched forward, sneaking from house to house. The village seemed deceptively peaceful in the blue glow of the stalactites.

Kraglins went about their lives, oblivious to the horrors hidden within their daily routines. Every shadow felt like a threat, every sound a potential alarm.

Jacob led us with surprising stealth, his movements confident and controlled. Sasha was right behind him, her face a mask of determination despite the turmoil I knew she must be feeling.

I brought up the rear, my mind still grappling with what I had done. Each step felt like an eternity, the world around me moving in slow motion.

'I didn't want to. I didn't mean to.'

As we crept closer to the cattle area, the sounds of the settlement grew louder. Kraglin children laughed and played, their jeers directed at the human livestock.

The humans, their eyes hollow and lifeless, were herded like animals. It was a bizarre parody of a village, a nightmare come to life.

We hugged the walls of the houses, using every bit of cover we could find. My night vision allowed me to guide us through the darkest parts, avoiding the pools of blue light that could reveal our presence. With each step, my sense of dread grew. The voices in my head were relentless, reminding me of my failures, my betrayals.

𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦. 𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘩𝘺𝘱𝘰𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦. 𝘌𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵. 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘺.

I gritted my teeth, trying to silence them, but they only grew louder. The weight of what I had done pressed down on me, threatening to crush me. I had to stay focused. We had to save the others, to stop the Kraglins. That was the only thing that mattered now.

'I have to focus.'

Jacob motioned for us to stop as we reached a particularly dark corner. Ahead of us was the cattle area, fenced off and guarded by a couple of Kraglins. They were distracted, talking among themselves. It was our chance.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves. We had to be quick, silent, and precise. This was our only shot.

"Ready?" Jacob whispered, his eyes meeting mine. There was no judgment there, just a shared determination. I nodded, the weight of my actions still heavy on my shoulders, but for now, I pushed it aside. We had a mission to complete.

Together, we moved forward, inching closer to the cattle area, getting as close to the guards as possible without revealing ourselves.

The farm was large by the village's standards, an oaken enclosure four feet tall acting as the walls of the area.

A tower approximately three metres tall stood behind the fence, housing two Kraglin archers busy in deep conversation. Another spear-wielding Kraglin stood at the gate, his eyes alert and posture as vigilant as could be.

This was going to be a problem.

I focused on my runes to check on my mana.

[Mana: 21/30]

It had barely recovered enough for my sneak skill to work for 2 seconds.

2 seconds was enough. We had to make sure it was.

"O Raijin, spirit of lightning! Bestow thy blessings upon my allies! Rite of Speed!" whispered Jacob, focusing the full force of the enchant on me.

[You have received a temporary buff to Agility.]

[You have received a temporary buff to Dexterity.]

Agility: 24 --> 40

Dexterity: 17 --> 25

[Buff duration] : 20 seconds

I could feel it.

An immense power overflowing through my muscles, sending a cool sensation down my body.

[Sneak has been activated]

[Duration] : 2 seconds

My feet left the ground with a miniature bang, alerting the Kraglin at the gate. It raised its spear in anticipation, but it was helpless against an invisible enemy, especially as fast as I was at the moment.

"SPLURT!", the Kraglin's face exploded like a watermelon as I rammed into it with my elbow at full speed.

Feeling the invisibility wear off, I carefully opened the gate and headed inside, coming face to face with the wooden tower's legs.

"That human I tell ya! Walked right int' the trap I set. Popped its head real good did it? " A Kraglin archer spoke, a hint of pride in its voice.

"Grahahahaha! These creatures have always been dumb. Breeding and feeding, that's the one thing they're good at!"

The two Kraglins broke into laughter, on the behalf of their twisted joke.

"Have a good laugh, for it will be the last one you have."

Rushing up the ladder placed against the tower, I stepped onto the platform, stabbing a Kraglin in the nape before they could register my presence.

Recovering instantenously, the other creature swung at me with its dagger, forcing me to deflect it with mine.

The platform was a mere two metres wide, there was no place to dodge.

Descending into a flurry of attacks, I made sure to aim at its weak points in order to incapacitate it.

Sporting considerable skill, it weaved and deflected my attacks with strained effort, keeping up with me despite my vastly superior speed.

I increased the speed of my attacks, disregarding defense completely as I sought to eliminate the monster before my buffs ran out.

CLANG!

The Kraglin's dagger flew out of its hands just as I felt my body grow sluggish, painstakingly slow compared to my previous state.

Grabbing the creature's neck, I struck my dagger in its eye, reaching deep into its brain.

It fell soundlessly to the wooden platform as I wiped the bloody dagger on my sleeves.

Giving a hand signal to my companions from the tower, I beckoned them inside, ready to face whatever came next.