A paste of mashed grapes (-g)

As Jay and Billie returned to the winery, the carriage was already loaded to the brim and the men had waited for them. While Billie narrated to his Father how they had been hunting, Marcus explained that he got quite some discount for transporting a huge amount personally.

"If what my son had told me is true, you must be an outstanding adventurer. You have my thanks for freeing us from those pests. How would you like to have a personal tour to the winery?" JM.

After Billie had finished his tale, Joshua McLure had returned to Marcus and Jay to thank them. As they would reach the Inn after it got dark anyways they gladly took the offer.

After Jay and Marcus had been shown the filling of the barrels they went outside to the backyard. There the met two women walking in a wooden tube. They were mashing the grapes and catching the juice for fermenting to wine.

Joshua asked the two men if they'd like to test it for themselves. Marcus declined as his back was already acing from loading the carriage. Jay though took the offer and the younger woman, Maybel McLure, showed him how to do it. That was of course after he had put down his pant and cleaned his feet and legs. The incident of a good piece of him hanging out of his undergarment while she eyed it intently luckily went unnoticed by her Father.

The mashing itself was a lot of work as Jay got stuck every now and then. The paste on the bottom of the tube squashed through his toes what felt disgusting. Even more it made the whole ground slippery, so he had the women help him in the beginning.

After five minutes he ceased his efforts and left the work to the professionals. The blonde Maybel gave him a wink as her father joked he should come here every now and then to help with the mashing.

Their tour ended in the vault of the winery where countless bottles were stored. Joshua opened one of the good ones and they shared a glass of wine.

As it was already late afternoon Jay and Marcus had to leave. Their travel back would take a while longer with that much load on the carriage. The whole family McLure waved them goodbye as they traveled down the slope trough the vineyards.

Without spotting a single Kobold they had reached the forest and got close to the main road. Giving the vineyard a last glance, Jay felt the wagon slowing down and then halting. Turning around he saw the reason and a deep feeling welled inside of him.

At first it was rage, but it quickly shifted to gratitude.

What stood there on the road blocking their way was none other than Katja Palin. The bandit bitch that forced herself onto him. Next to her stood two more bandits while Jay had already noticed two more pairs sneaking in from both sides behind. Telling Marcus to duck down and drive on when he entered combat, he climbed off the carriage.

Not even pulling out his sword he walked forwards. The moment both bandits next to Katja rushed to him light blue arrows shot from Jay, boring first through the right and the next one through the left bandit. He had cast (Arcane Missiles) the moment he left the carriage and held it back. That was something he learned in his training the day before. The second salve went off directly thereafter because of his quick-slots. A little cool-down was all he had needed for a instant double kill.

The woman before him though was still smiling. She knew he was adept to magic as she had seen her companions fall. Her ring kept her from getting hit with spells and Jay had hoped she would react that way. The ambush party in the back held back and kept hidden, letting Katja do her work. She did exactly that when she gripped her big Axe and dashed for Jay.

At this moment Marcus took the reigns and accelerated the carriage as fast as possible. The woman had no way to change her course and the guys in the back also had no chance to stop the carriage. The loot was gone this time. Or from Jay's perspective, the battlefield got cleaned up.

Ducking her slow and wide sideways swing from the left he turned the moment she had passed him by. With the centrifugal force added he kicked Katja to her right flank from behind, which resulted in her crashing to the ground three yards away.

Awoken from their stupor the first one from the ambush group shot his first arrow. It was a wide miss but the next one didn't take long. Dashing towards the middle aged men with bows while dodging two more arrows it was time for some enlightenment.

The Chain lightning struck both of the team, killing the first and electrocuting the second. With the Wingblade he had taken out through his quick-slot he cut down the still immobilized man in one swift motion.

The other ambush team only had one guy with a bow while the other one was already halfway to Jay. The idiots gave him cover themselves this way as he kept rushing guy in the line of fire. Sidestepping a unpracticed slash Jay passed the bandit. A split second later he stabbed him in the back with his then backwards gripped Wingblade.

Now in the line of fire Jay immediately shot stone shards to the remaining bandit. The man himself was aiming with his bow while trying to gain some distance. With a salve of bullet like stones his endeavors came to an abrupt halt as even his bow had given in to the magic attack.

As Jay arrived at the crouching bandit he used a (slash) and beheaded him. It was by no means necessary but he still had hopes to level up the skills this way.

Katja had watched him slaughtering the first ambush team of her small bandit group. Betting on her chances she rushed in for assistance the moment she got up. But as he was swiftly dealing with her second ambush team she saw her chances dwindling. With no second thought she turned around and tried to dash away and after the carriage. Jay had noticed her getting up but had to deal with the remaining bandits.

His main target had only gotten to a distance of about 30 yards when he ran after her. With his speed exceeding her by the double as he gave his all, she had no chance of fleeing. As he was in range behind her, he simply hooked her leg. Running with all her might, this action brought her off balance and she crushed to the ground for the second time, sliding over the rough earthen road.

Slowing from his run to a jog and then to leisurely walking, Jay closed in on Katja. He had thought about what to do to the woman who mishandled him. At first he thought about treating her like with like.

But she wasn't worth him dirtying his fingers that much. Or anything else. From his inventory he retrieved the Yetimus Maximus. That thing was humongous. With a weight over thirty pounds and a handle nearly Jay's size it earned itself the classification as war-hammer. He lifted it up and put it over his shoulder while a menacing grin grew appeared on his face.

The woman herself grew wide eyed the moment she rolled herself around and saw him and the gigantic hammer over his shoulder.

"W-Wait, what ya plannin'?" K.

"Oh, but I thought you're up to a good hammering anytime, No?" J.

Ending his answer Jay brought the hammer down on Katja's left knee with all his might. The vibrations hitting the earth beneath got transferred even through the long wooden handle. A booming sound overlapped the splattering of what was once a knee. Up to half of her thigh the leg got squashed until even her rough skin couldn't withstand the force and bursted.

A roaring scream left Katja's throat. The thumb of her left leg was twitching violently as Jay lifted the monstrous hammer back up.

With rage in her eyes the female bandit gripped her axe she had dropped next to her. From her position still lying on her back she performed a slashing attack which Jay simply countered with his Yetimus Maximus. The result was the axe chipping and hurling away into the distance while Katjas fingers pointed into directions they shouldn't have.

Stepping on her right thigh, Jay let the hammerhead fall onto her other knee, resulting in a snapping sound. That kneecap was a goner. Leaning on the handle of his weapon he started questioning her.

"Say, do you by chance still have my pouch and ring? Oh, you just remembered right?" J.

Realizing the identity of her opponent, panic assaulted Katja. Stuttering a hoarse "Th-The big quy..." Jay could see her trembling in fear.

Before she could answer anything more, he had lifted the hammer high up again. This time he aimed for her left shoulder. With a lot less force applied, his weapon still crushed her shoulder with upper arm, shoulder blade and all. As he let go of the hammer it kept its position with the hilt diagonally to the air. Even the ground under Katjas shoulder had dent in.

Jay knelt down and lifted her limp left arm. He had already seen his Reflect Ring on her hand and just then pulled it off forcefully. All that was accompanied by her screaming and crying.

Next he went to her belt. While he unfastened it and pulled it out he had no desire for what lay beneath. Not ever! The small pouch that was his had been fastened there. Peeking in he saw that some of the gold coins were missing. Not minding it he threw both into his inventory.

"Now, as compensation for my gold, would you be so kind to tell me the whereabouts of that second fucking bitch that was with you back then?" J.

"Aargh, that little whore? Last time I saw her was the time with you. Got separated for our fail. Should be north of here, close to a old mine... " K.

"Thanks a bunch! Then what about your main base? I guess you have something like a headquarter?" J.

"Fuck you!" K.

Smiling wide Jay had hoped for that answer. He was surprised she had given in to his first request as he was more than ready for a little round of torture to this woman. Now he finally got the cance. Standing up he lifted his right leg and stepped on her crotch. While shifting his weight on the leg he twisted his foot over the heel left and right. The force he applied drew tears to the bandits eyes. Picking up his hammer he bent over her and lifted her mangled right hand, squeezing it.

Screaming in pain from two different sources she pleaded him to stop, which he did only after she began talking again.

"For the main base I really have no idea. We had been camping in different locations around silver lake and were never told. Our orders came always from the the leader at the dock house. It's our main transportation route and any information is passed there... please, stop it..." K.

Happy about the information he got he lessened his grip on her hand and went on with his interrogation.

"Okay then, last question: What happened to the missing adventurers and why did you hunt them?" J.

"...Hmpf" K.

As he stated it was his last question he knew she was playing for time. Her chances of surviving had been slim the moment she learned his reason for torturing, he knew that as well. Tightening his grip again he lifted the hammer up and descended it on her right elbow. With a loud knacking noise she lost her last remaining limb as the angles her underarm took were nowhere near normal.

"I have all night for you my dear..." J.

"I-I'll talk... I was tasked to go for adventurers with the ability from your ring. I never told them! Whenever we had caught and enslaved some good ones we had to transfer them to the dock. The same goes for most groups at the moment, but most only get civillians." K.

"Then what happens to the enslaved, and what of the not so good ones?" J.

"What ya think? Don't know where the slaves go, but the rest is either killed or played with... mostly the women though..." K.

With rage welling up in him he lifted himself up and nodded. Looking her into the eyes he tried to find befitting word for the situation.

"Thank you for telling me. Our time is up it seems. Before I take my leave I have to make sure you wont take advantage anymore though." J.

With this he lifted his Yetimus Maximus up and let it fall to behind him. As it was halfway down he pushed his right shoulder forward swinging the hammer like a golf club directly from below into her nethers. No scream resounded as seemingly all air had been pressed out of her lungs. Only the loud shattering of her hips could be heard.

Lifting the hammer back up he saw the flat area had gotten a red coloring with the same applying to the bandits crotch. Jay relished in the sight for nearly a minute as Katja twisted herself in agony.

What followed after the minute was hard to take in even for Jay himself. He brought down the massive Hammer all over the bandits body over and over again. The feeling and sight had gotten close to how the grapes this afternoon looked. After he stomped them...

***

Quest:

The Bandits

current Object:

found 1/2 of the Bandits that captured you

***

Long after the notification appeared and Katja Palin was a goner he ceased his mashing of her remains. Storing the bloody war hammer in the inventory he pilled out his Wingblade and beheaded her. Afterwards he stored both back inside.

With the first part of his revenge fulfilled he rushed towards Marcus after he looted the other bandits a short distance back.