You accept and head North.

You continue to trudge along the path in the woods on the north side of town. The store owner had told you the routes that the bandits favor to hit and you decided that if you were going to get the chance to find the group, playing the part of a lone traveler was more than likely going to be it. A smile crosses your face, looking almost evil in the fading light as the sun continues to sink beneath the horizon. It almost felt too easy of a score for you. Not only were you on the path to gaining a stronger vessel more capable of fulfilling your needs, but you had managed to up the price of your services to rid the area of its nuisance.

Sure, the whole situation seemed a little strange to him. How often did a paladin **** a person in need to ante up for services rendered? You had managed to play it off with a sob story about needing the funds to help rebuild your chosen deity's shrine. The store owner had become even more suspicious when you requested the payment up front, though that one was easier to explain.

You were going to vanquish the bandits and continue on back home with your coins to get started on rebuilding right away. The chance that you might run off with the coins did exist, but you alleviated those fears by reminding him that something like that was likely to get you in trouble and cut off from your powers. Technically all of this was true but for other reasons. You were going to be on your way as soon as it was over, but that was because you couldn't exactly waltz back into town with your new body to collect your money let alone as a well-known bandit in this region. And paladins did lose their power, but since you were in control the god wasn't giving you powers anyway.

"_So how exactly is this going to go," you hear Eileen ask curiously. "Simple. I keep going until the bandits capture me." "Who wouldn't want to capture a beautiful young girl laden with all kind of merchandise and money?" "What's to stop them from killing us?" You give a small laugh at her statement. "Us? What us? If you die I just found somebody else to call home."_

"WHAT? You bastard!" You can't but give a chuckle. "Relax, I have no intention of reneging my promise to keep you alive until I claim myself a new body. I guess I have a bit of a warped sense of humor." Her mind seems a little tense after your joke but is relaxing itself.

A rustling in the forest around you rouses you from your conversation. Turning your head from side to side you can't see anything out of the ordinary, until you feel the cold steel of a blade press up against your throat.