"I ask the questions, kid. Are you the Lith that is supposed to start his apprenticeship today?"
Lith grimaced.
"Whoever sent this hired muscle, knows way too much about me."
"I am." Lith retorted fiercely. "And it's none of your business."
"I'm here to give you a friendly advice, son. Today you are feeling very ill, and it's best for you to go back home and stay in bed all day."
Lith anger started to grow and he didn't care about hiding it.
"I'm feeling perfectly fine, thank you. Now scram!"
The five men lowered their hands to the weapons hanging from their belts, the reins held tight ready to the charge.
"Last chance, kid. Turn back now. I know you have such a pretty house and such a beautiful mom. Not to mention two gorgeous sisters ripe for the taking. It would be really sad if something bad happened to them."
Lith released such a powerful killing intent aura, that the horses took a step back. The hair on the horsemen's neck suddenly standing up.
"I wanted to play this nice and slow, but I just changed my mind."
With a sweep of his right hand, five wind blades struck the horses' legs, making them whine in pain while collapsing on their sides.
"Now you cannot retreat anymore."
The man with the moustaches and his right-hand man managed to dismount with a roll, avoiding getting crushed by the falling horse. The other three weren't so skilled.
"Kill him! Go! Go! Go!"
"Kneel!" Lith voice was cold, his words fell on the two men like boulders, making them instantly fall on their knees.
Lith's spirit magic was stronger than ever, and he wasn't holding back even one bit.
"What the heck? Sarge, I can't get up!" Screamed the right-hand man struggling on the ground.
"I never allowed you to talk or to look at me. I said kneel!" Another wave, even stronger than the previous one, pushed their heads toward the ground.
Despite dropping their weapons to absorb the impact with their hands, they still hit the ground so hard that they started to bleed.
"Much better. Now let me dispose of the garbage before resuming our talk." Lith walked over the closest horseman, still under his horse, the leg stuck and broken, making him scream and wince in pain.
With a wave of the hand, turned both their heads 180°, the necks snapping like a dry log tossed into the fire.
"Stay away! Stay away from me, monster!" Screamed the next in line, crying in desperation.
"Am I a monster? Wasn't you the one ready to burn a house full of innocents, to r*pe a barely eight years old child?" Without waiting for his reply, Lith clenched his fist, distorting the man's head before making it implode like a walnut.
"Please, please! It's not my fault! Have mercy! I was just following orders!" Said a blonde, handsome youth trying to free his trapped leg.
"Just following orders… I could lecture you about the many atrocities that men like you did with such an excuse. But you see, I'm just the same. I'm just following orders too! Mine to be precise!" A fire bolt struck both horse and rider, turning them into a pyre, screaming in agony.
Lith returned to the kneeling men. They were still struggling to escape his control, their faces pales as ghosts, gritting their teeth while exerting every ounce of their strength.
"I'm sorry." Lith said with a cherubic smile, while letting them raise their heads. "But my Puppet Master spell isn't so simple. It takes more than a touch of strength and a spoonful of wishful thinking to escape from it."
The two men wanted to beg for mercy, but their mouths refused to open. It was like their teeth were fused to each other.
"Now, I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that I don't need both of you. And between the pack leader and a lackey, the choice is obvious. The good news is that I allow you to speak. Any last words?"
"Please, don't! I just married, I needed the prize money from my Lord! My wife is expecting a child! I could not allow to lose my position."
Lith emitted a cruel, joyless laugh.
"We'll have to agree to disagree. You say wife, yet all I can hear is widow."
Lith put his left hand on the man's head, turning it into a block of ice.
It fell to the ground, shattering into countless shards of bones, skin and brain matter.
The man with the moustaches started to puke uncontrollably, but his mouth was still tight shut. Some barf managed to escape from his nose, the rest he was forced to gulp it down over and over, to avoid chocking.
Lith raised his hand, making the man with the moustaches float in mid-air upside down, so that he could watch him straight in the eyes.
"And now, you have only two choices. You can tell me what I want and die without suffering too much. Or you can keep resisting, suffering through unimaginable pain and agony before telling me what I want to know. You have free will after all."