The grin on the thug leader's face remained as he slowly approached.
His nine companions spread out behind him.
Not enough to completely surround the room.
But enough to make their intentions clear.
Several readers were already backing away nervously.
One merchant hurried toward the exit.
Nobody wanted to be caught in whatever was about to happen.
Osric calmly looked at the group.
Ten armed men.
Inside a library.
In broad daylight.
He didn't need William's explanation anymore.
The situation was obvious.
"Stoneclaw?" Osric asked quietly.
William nodded.
"Yeah."
His breathing had mostly recovered by now.
"They sent another group after Garrick in the forest."
Osric's eyes narrowed.
"Another group?"
'Is this all happening because I killed Piers? Why would they go so far?' Osric wondered.
"Ten men. We killed them."
For the first time, uncertainty appeared on the thug leader's face.
"What?"
William ignored him and continued.
"They were sent by Luke. We captured one alive and found out they were planning to come after you next."
A dangerous silence settled over the room.
The thug leader's expression darkened.
Clearly, this wasn't information he was supposed to hear.
William slowly shifted his stance.
"You got a weapon with you?"
Osric nodded.
"Yeah. My sword. Didn't bring my shield."
Fortunately, carrying weapons was normal for adventurers, mercenaries and many travelers throughout Aldreth.
Osric rarely went anywhere without at least his sword.
"Good."
William lowered his own shield from his back.
"Because I don't think talking is going to solve this."
A few tables away, Samuel quietly watched everything unfold.
His expression remained calm.
Inside, however, he was stunned.
'So they managed to kill them. But this quickly? Garrick was supposed to be alone with a rookie adventurer.' Samuel thought.
For the first time since entering the library, Samuel stopped viewing Osric as merely a potentially useful adventurer.
The thug leader spat onto the floor.
"Tsk."
"So Klinger really was useless."
The library remained silent.
Nobody dared interrupt.
Osric slowly moved one hand toward the sword at his waist.
The motion wasn't threatening.
Just enough to make it clear that he wasn't unarmed.
The thug leader noticed.
"So you're Osric."
Osric didn't answer.
The man chuckled.
"You've caused a lot of trouble for some important people."
"I don't even know who you are," Osric replied.
The thug's smile faded slightly.
"That's fine. Dead men don't need introductions."
Several readers flinched.
Even Samuel's eyes narrowed.
The threat had been spoken openly.
Inside a public library.
The thug leader looked around the room.
"Everyone else can leave."
Nobody moved.
"Now."
Chairs scraped against the floor.
People immediately began heading for the exits.
The librarian looked horrified but didn't dare protest.
Only Samuel remained seated.
One of the thugs frowned.
"Hey old man. Didn't you hear him?"
Samuel slowly looked up from his chair.
"I did."
His calm voice made the thug hesitate for a moment.
Before he could say anything else, the leader waved him off.
"Forget him."
His eyes returned to Osric.
"Kill the two adventurers first."
The room instantly exploded into motion.
The nearest thug charged straight at Osric with a club raised overhead.
A terrible attack.
Slow.
Predictable.
Osric's sword left its scabbard in a flash.
"Schtk!"
The blade cut cleanly across the man's throat before the club could even descend.
Blood sprayed across a bookshelf.
The thug collapsed immediately.
At the same time, William slammed into another attacker.
"Bang!"
His shield smashed into the man's chest and knocked him backwards.
Before the thug could recover—
"Crack!"
William's axe buried itself in the side of his head.
The body dropped heavily onto the floor.
For a brief moment, the remaining gang members froze.
Two dead.
Almost instantly.
"What are you idiots doing?!"
The leader shouted furiously.
"Kill them!"
Three rushed Osric together.
Another three went for William.
The remaining one stayed near their leader.
Osric stepped backwards and overturned a nearby chair with his foot.
One thug tripped over it.
Another was forced to move around him.
Their charge immediately lost momentum.
'Thugs always make the same mistakes.'
They had numbers.
But they weren't fighting together.
They were getting in each other's way.
The first sword came toward his shoulder.
Osric leaned aside.
The second attack followed immediately after.
A rusty axe.
Too slow.
Too wide.
His Combat Instinct screamed at him.
Move.
Strike.
Kill.
The iron sword thrust forward.
"Thk!"
The point entered through the attacker's eye.
Osric ripped the blade free and immediately turned.
The third thug finally reached him.
The man swung wildly.
Osric blocked.
"Clang!"
The impact traveled down his arm.
Not dangerous.
Just annoying.
His sword slid down the enemy blade and cut across the man's wrist.
"Agh!"
The weapon dropped.
One step later—
"Schtk!"
The sword entered beneath the jaw.
Three down.
Across the room, William was doing even better.
His shield crashed into another thug's face.
The man's nose exploded in blood.
William followed with a brutal upward axe strike.
"Crack!"
The thug collapsed instantly.
The remaining two hesitated.
That hesitation killed one of them.
William surged forward.
The axe bit deep into a shoulder.
The man screamed.
A second strike silenced him forever.
The last thug immediately backed away.
Fear finally replacing confidence.
Meanwhile, Samuel watched everything from his chair.
His eyes widened slightly.
'This isn't a fight.'
'It's a slaughter.'
These weren't elite warriors.
But neither were the men dying around the room.
The difference in skill was overwhelming.
Within less than half a minute, more than half of the gang members were already dead.
And Osric hadn't suffered so much as a scratch.