Mill Valley was untouched by the sweeping waves of bandit issues that cropped up across the kingdom when the latest cycle passed. It was a town named for its work, out of the way and oft forgotten by all but the quiet clerks and pages who kept track of the kingdoms larger resource movements. Even then, Mill Valley existed as a single line, listed next to some weights and currencies on those scribes' pages. No peace lasts forever, though, and when a roving group of bandits came upon the town, the plan was drawn up for breaking said peace. They would descend an hour after nightfall, light the grain silos on fire, and as the groggy townsfolk gathered to save their harvest the bandits would rob their empty houses blind.
The crew of five thieves split up, eager to effect their scheme. The first, a swiftfooted former courier, reached his silo and eagerly began to light his torch. A rustle distracted him from his arson, but before he could turn he found himself lost in the dark. Had there been any onlookers, they would have seen the farmer's scythe cleave the man in twain, then suck up the two halves into it's blade.
The second brigand had begun to light their silo when a blade, which spent its time over the hearth at the local inn, descended upon them and separated their arm from their arson.
The third brigand at the final silo waited, staring into the night nervously for his fellows to start their fires. The local mason's hammer didnt even leave the woman's grasp, silently urging her body onwards as the third bandit was knocked unconscious by a deft blow, his last thoughts of confusion as he heard snoring.
The fourth and fifth bandits, in position on the roof of the inn, waited in silence. After an hour of quiet, with no fires to be seen, the impatient looters set about a more traditional heist. A heist which lasted all of three minutes, when the chef's knife found the backs of both the would-be thieves.
In the quiet of the night, someone might have seen the movement of blades in the night, yet no bodies to bear them. In the morning, the people of Mill Valley would rise, hone their tools, and get to work.
A worker whose tools are cared for will care for them in turn, after all.
