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nDarius' words practically shocked them out of their stupor. From his appearance to his words, over to his actions of pulling out a gold coin, and finally his command, they had been easily overwhelmed then caught in his pace.

nThe first to snap out of it was, of course, Diato. The rugged bandit was about the size of a bear, with burly arms, each half the size of Darius' torso. Darius had seen from his character panel that he was a hybrid. Part-beast, specifically of the Ursas.

nHe had a shaggy mane of brown hair that went down all the way to the small of his back. His face was rough and the farthest thing from handsome, yet he wasn't yet ugly.

nHe simply had hard features like a block nose, a distinctive jawline, slightly thick lips, and small yellowish eyes. He also had a messy stubble that didn't help with his appearance.

nHe was the only member of the group who had a complete set of leather armor covering his body, with many daggers strapped to his waist, legs, and torso. Darius wasn't surprised as his class was a Bandolier.

nBeside him was Kevin who was tall and very unassuming, partly shaved brown hair, a long nose, wide eyes, and thin lips. He wore a steel breastplate he must have managed to steal from the army since it still had the sigil, as well as cotton pants and boots.

nSurprisingly, he was also a spearman like Derek.

nFinally, there was Jorge the thief. He also wore a cloak that covered most of his features like Darius. Darius couldn't see much of him except his arms, but Darius was intrigued to discover that Jorge had to be a female.

nHe could see a slight protrusion on the fellow's upper garment that resembled nylon, and the harem pants that were quite baggy also tried to mislead Darius.

nAlthough the Analyze panel didn't show someone's gender, Darius was clued in by Jorge's real name, which happened to be Georgina Esta De L'Orion. A noble name for sure, so the question was how did she end up working with bandits?

nAs such, his eyes laid on Jorge more than the others. But he still idly negotiated with Diato on the task he issued to his group, which the leaders were slightly reluctant to take.

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"We's doing jus fine thanks. Attacking that fellow Shank's homestead ain't wise. He's ex-knight, honorably discharged too. If we so much as touch a grass on his land, he could get a whole army regiment here within weeks!

" Diato made a list of excuses in a rough accent.

nDarius was amused to note that it wasn't there before, meaning that it had likely been shocked out of his system.

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"Don't forget that he is in good favor with the Equality Faction of the nobles, boss! Many there support his homestead in the shadows and use it as a forward base to expand the frontier of the kingdom!

" Kevin added while bitting off a large chunk of his held meat.

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"And the one thing no sensible bandit ever does, is to harm a noble's interests or the army's. If you understand, please take your gold coin and leave before the hands of some of our boys get itchy.

" Jorge warned coldly, her voice coming out very deep.

n'No wonder none have suspected her.'

nDarius twirled the gold coin in his hands lazily and saw every eye around the campfire following its movement like they were charmed snakes. Even those who were tied up by the side were gazing at it with reverence and desire.

nIt couldn't be helped, a Gold Ando Coin had too much power in the Andrato Kingdom. Right now, Darius flourishing this coin told the bandit group five things.

nThe first was obviously that Darius had to be a noble. Only nobles or high-class existences could even get their hands on a single gold coin, and they mostly kept it for identity and status purposes.

nThe second was that Darius must enjoy a huge backing. The kind of person who would pay a lowly bandit group like them a whole gold coin instead of bronze - or even if they were generous, silver - probably had a wealth of gold coins to the point they did not value them.

nThe third was that Darius was giving them a warning. Just as they had monologued that attacking a noble was the last thing they would do, Darius was reminding them that even if they could pierce through his mystery and kill him, they would suffer untold wrath.

nThe fourth was that Shanks was not as loved as they thought. There had to be at least one noble family or perhaps even a faction that wanted to see him dead at all costs, even using a gold coin to pay for it.

nTo compare, that's like paying a common dark web assassin 10 billion dollars to kill a retired army commander living in the south.

nThe fifth tied into the fourth, in that by taking out such a heavy amount, Darius was basically telling them that he would not take no for answer. Removing a gold coin would tell anyone the first four points, and the third contained a secret.

nSo the group remained quiet as they stared at the gold coin. Despite refusing at first, Darius did not speak and continued to hold up the coin while the three leaders shared uncertain looks and whispered among themselves.

nThey were at a crossroads, where one wrong choice could see them all dead.

nKill or refuse Darius, no matter the outcome they would end up offending the noble family

/faction behind him and die.

nKill Shanks, they would offend the noble faction behind him and die.

nHowever, there was one out, and that was the almighty gold coin. It could grant them amnesty if they played their cards right and handled the job with extreme prudence and care, much more than what they used for their various raids.

nDarius smiled when he saw the light flash in the three leaders' eyes and he flicked the coin over to Diato. The burly man caught the coin deftly and stared at Darius silently before nodding, Kevin and Jorge nodding as well.

nDarius gazed at the captives beside the caravan boredly before blinking away. The captives, who thought Darius would negotiate for the freedom as a fellow noble, were left ashen.

nSeeing this, Kevin turned to Diato.

"What to do about the hostages, boss? They heard everything.

"

nDiato turned and gazed at them coldly, before smiling brutally.

"Use 'em well, then kill 'em. We's movin out in 3 days. Jorge, send news that we's recruitin' again. This time, no requirements. Whoever can clutch a stick is welcome to join us.

"

nThe rest of the gang laughed darkly as they rose and headed over to the 7 captives, each one picking a target that suited their fancy... and not always of the opposite sex.

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