"Talk!? Screw you! I bet you're just itching to cut us down like you did that bandit just now!"

Rolund takes a few steps towards us.

"Sigh, look kid, i don't like hurting kids, so let me expl-..."

"Bullshit! You looked pretty enthusiastic about beating me all over the place!"

"Because i had to look convincing to Grem!"

Annoyed, Rolund raises his voice.

"What!?"

I respond in return, angry and full of adrenaline.

Alfreda taps my shoulder and whispers to me.

"Alex, maybe we should let him explain?"

I side-eye her, and look back at Rolund.

"Tsk, fine!"

"Good. The others will reach us shortly so i will explain this quickly. My name is Rolund of house Silvermoon, i was given a mission by my superiors to infiltrate Grem's band and gather information about him and his movements."

"Yeah, right. A secret mission is a convenient excuse!"

"Alex, what if he's telling the truth?"

She whispers again.

"Things have gone according to plan for a few years now and this is the closest i've gotten to him, but your sudden involvement and violent outburst is about to take things into a completely different direction."

"Then why don't you just kill him and get it over with!?"

"Because that's not my mission. The only reason why i haven't apprehended you yet is because you're children."

"That's why you hesitated and questioned Grem?"

"Yes. I know he will continue hurting you, trying to break you down, and once he's bored with you, he will target your friend next. My plan was to convince him to let you go."

"oh, how kind of you."

"Shut it, boy! Just because i don't like hurting children doesn't mean i won't do it."

I take a step back.

"So, now what?"

"I will let you go."

He points to our right.

"Go that way and you will find the road that leads to your village. I will slow the others down to create some distance, but I can't guarantee the safety of your village."

"You won't come after us?"

"No, so get going!"

I squat down and Alfreda climbs on my back again.

With a burst of speed, i dash and disappear between the trees.

Rolund hears the rest of the bandits approaching him and waits for them.

"Boss! Did you catch them?"

One of the bandits who reach him first asks.

"No, i lost sight of them. What's the situation with Grem?"

"He took the horses and some men with him to the road and is heading to the village. He wants to start the raid now."

"Understandable."

"So, what do we do? Do we join them?"

"No, we will head back to camp and prepare to depart. Once the raid is over, we will want to leave this forest as soon as possible."

"Understood. You heard the boss, let's head back!"

The bandits turn around and Rolund looks back to the trees where we ran off.

He watches for a moment before turning and heading back to the camp with the bandits.

 

"Huff, huff!"

I hope Rolund didn't deceive us because i'm starting to get tired, but i must keep going.

"Alex, there!"

Alfreda points slightly to our right.

"Got it! Hold on tight!"

I adjust my course and jump over a fallen tree.

She tightens her grip, as if hugging me.

"Thank you, Alex, for protecting me!"

"Whatever! We must get to the village before Grem does to warn them."

"Yeah!"

I jump over a ditch and land on the road.

"Huff! We reached the road."

I look to my right.

"Fields! We are at the entrance to the forest."

I take a deep breath and take a running stance again.

"Ah!"

Damn it, my legs!

I thought my stamina was better than expected, but it must've been the adrenaline that allowed me to run so far for so long.

Alfreda isn't heavy, but carrying her only speeds up my exhaustion.

"Alex, what's wrong?"

Alfreda asks concerned.

"Nothing!"

I dash forward, heading towards Hillcrest.

 

The familiar houses of our village are a welcome sight.

As we get closer, i suddenly hear rapid footsteps behind us.

I look back and see a large group of horses heading to our direction.

Leading the charge is Grem, still furious.

"There they are! Capture them! Charge!"

Grem commands the bandits and they speed up past him.

They are still far away from us and i can see my house in the distance, i just have to keep pushing myself.

Wait, there's some people gathered in front of it.

Is that Eric?

Did he gather a search party?

We have to warn them about Grem!

 

"Is everyone ready to start the search?"

Eric asks the volunteers.

"Yeah, pretty much, let's find those kids!"

"Eric!"

Eric hears his name being called and turns his head.

His eyes open wide when he sees me running towards him while carrying Alfreda.

"Alex?"

"They're back?"

One of the volunteers asks.

"Bandits!"

I shout at him.

He tilts his head to look behind me and sees the approaching horses.

"About 45 of them."

He thinks and his expression becomes stoic and determined.

"I managed to gather 15 volunteers of able bodied men."

Eric detaches a horn off his belt.

"The local village guard i'm part of has another 20 men, and the flare scrolls i received from Luton will hopefully bring additional forces."

He brings the horn to his lips and blows loudly.

Next he takes the scrolls and opens them.

"Flare!"

He reads the words and the scroll begins to glow red.

He then throws it in the air and it launches itself up high, leaving behind red smoke and shining brightly.

"Change of plans men, bandits are approaching our village, prepare to defend it!"

"Yes, sir!"

The volunteers answer back to him.

With their weapons ready, the volunteers run past us as we finally arrive to my house, two others remaining behind.

I let Alfreda off my back and collapse on my hands and knees on the ground.

"Haa, haa!"

I gasp for air, sweaty and tired.

Eric gets on his knees in front of us and hugs both us tightly.

"Alex, Alfreda! You're safe! We were so worried!"

"Waah!"

Alfreda cries in his arms.

"Ngh... too... close..."

I protest weakly.

Eric lets go of us and turns to the other two volunteers who stayed behind.

"You two, take Alfreda back to her family and protect them!"

"Got it!"

One of the two men picks up Alfreda and they run to her house.

Anna opens front door and runs to us in tears.

"Alex!"

She hugs me tightly.

"We were so worried! Where were you!?"

I try to get her off me, annoyed.

"Hnng! We got lost in the forest... and then we were captured by bandits!"

She refuses to let me go.

"I don't know if i should feel angry or relieved! I should ground you but i'm just glad that you're safe!"

"And we're being attacked by bandits. Anna, take the kids with you to the cellar, and don't come out until i say so!"

Eric tells Anna.

She looks down the road where the volunteers have blocked the road and stopped the first wave of bandits.

"Yes, dear!"

Anna runs inside to get Ava.

Loud shouting is heard and we see the bandits kill a few volunteers and four of them get past them on horseback.

"No!"

Eric shouts and runs towards them.

"Get to the Cellar, Alex!"

I watch as Eric draws his longsword and runs towards the bandits that got through.

They get off their horses and charge towards Eric with their swords drawn.

The first one reaches Eric and brings his sword over his head and strikes downward.

Eric's eye twitches and he responds with a upward swing.

His superior strength blocks and overpowers the bandit's strike.

He then quickly repositions his sword to slash across the bandit's chest and passes him from the left.

"GAH!"

Blood paints the ground and the bandit falls over.

The second bandit is already swinging downwards at an angle towards Eric.

While his sword is still on the left-side, Eric dashes to the second bandit's right-side, his speed and agility allowing him to duck under the blade before it hits him and slashing the bandit's stomach.

The bandit drops his sword and spins a few times before keeling over while holding his guts.

"You bastard!"

Third bandit shouts and uses a lunging attack against Eric.

Eric deflects the strike, their swords colliding causing sparks to fly.

He then spins clockwise and with a side-ways swing, aims for the bandit's neck.

With a clean cut, the bandit's head flies off and blood sprays like a fountain, staining Eric's clothes.

The fourth bandit stops his charge and hesitates after witnessing the others being slain with such speed and power.

Eric approaches him fast and the bandit prepares to guard.

"Wait, i surrender!"

The bandit shouts.

Eric brings his sword over his head for a downward strike.

"You dare threaten my family!"

He swings downward with extreme power and the bandit tries to block it.

Eric's sword breaks the sword in half and he splits the bandit's head right in the middle.

The blade doesn't stop until it reaches the stomach and the blood spray has covered Eric in blood.

Seeing Eric kill four bandits, each of them with a single strike has left me shocked and amazed.

The sight is gruesome, especially the last one but i don't want to focus on it.

His speed, agility and strength are beyond what i thought he was capable of.

Is this what the body is capable of in this world?

It's completely different when compared to magic.

If i keep training, i'll surely reach Eric's level and even surpass him.

Is this the answer i've been looking for, if i'm going to fight against magic?

 

Anna comes out of the house, holding Ava.

She goes to the cellar door which is close to the front door.

"Alex, get in here quickly!"

I'd like to stay and keep watching but it would be wise to do as she says, for now.

Together the three of us descend into the cellar and close the door behind us.

Anna lights up a few candles so we can see around us.

I've been down here only a few times so i don't remember much it's rather spacious down here.

"Sit here Alex. You must be terribly hungry, let me get you something to eat."

She walks over to some shelves which i notice have some food items on them.

I didn't know this cellar acted as a pantry too.

She hands me some bread and water.

I take a bite and it tastes a lot better compared to the bread the bandits gave us.

The rain is starting to get louder, is a storm coming?

 

The struggle continues at the blockade.

The bandits try to get through but their horses are scared of the volunteers and they don't want to dismount.

One of the volunteers looks behind the bandits and sees the approaching bandit reinforcements.

"Fall back, more are coming!"

He shouts and the blockade breaks and the bandits get through.

"Damn it!"

Eric curses.

"Charge!"

Eric hears a shout and looks behind him to see that the village guards have answered the horn and are now approaching him.

"Hah, just in time!"

The guards run past him to meet the bandits with their weapons drawn.

Although the village guards aren't as well-equipped as the town guards, they can still hold their own thanks to Eric's leadership as a former mercenary.

The volunteers retreat to support them from behind.

There is a gap in the formation and one bandit manages to get through.

"Tsk!"

Eric tries to intercept him but the horse is too fast.

"Shit! Finriel's house is that way, but there's two people protecting them, hopefully they'll manage."

The fighting has retreated closer to our house, which has Eric feeling uneasy.

"Where are the town guards!?"

Eric shouts and grabs a bandit by the leg and pulls him off his horse.

He drags him along the ground and stabs his sword through the bandit's chest.

"Rain fire!"

A loud command is heard and Eric and the villagers see balls of fire being thrown into the fields.

Despite the rain, the grass and wheatfields catch fire and begin spreading quickly.

"TO ME!"

The loud voice shouts again and the bandits retreat from the blockade.

"Our crops!"

A villager shouts.

Eric sees that bandits who are setting the fields on fire are either using magic or fire arrows.

"Hurry, go extinguish them!"

Eric commands the villagers.

"But what about the bandits, Eric?"

"Leave them to me, now go!"

The villagers hesitate but decide to obey Eric's orders and leave him alone on the road.

The bandits stop their retreat down the road.

They then split in the middle, as if to let someone through.

Amongst them, a single horse carrying a large man with a battleaxe on his back emerges and stops in front of them.

Eric sees him and cautiously raises his sword.

"Who's that? Their leader?"

The bandits snicker amongst themselves as they slowly begin to follow their leader towards Eric.

"Are these the rest of their forces? Judging from the bodies on the ground there's about 25 of them left."

As he scans the ground, he finds among the fallen villagers the young man who first agreed to fight with him.

His griefs for a moment before becoming angry.

"I'll make these bastards pay for what they've done, i'll make sure of that. I just have to kill their leader and the others will scatter."

 

Back in the cellar, i tap my foot as i try to sit patiently on a stool.

I can't get the sight of Eric's martial prowess off my head.

I eye at the cellar door.

Even though it's dangerous, i want to see more.

Anna is preoccupied with Ava.

Ah, screw this!

I go to the cellar door and slowly open it a little.

Creak!

Anna looks in my direction.

"Alex! Get away from there!"

Shit...

I open the door and slip outside.

Anna picks up Ava and comes to the door.

She opens it enough to peek her head through.

She sees me crawling on the muddy grass, going towards Eric.

"Alex, come back this instant!"

She tells me panicking.

I crawl until i reach the stone fence and sneak along it while being hidden.

Once i reach the corner i peek over it.

There's Eric, but why is he alone?

I just see a bunch of bandits on horses coming this way, i need to get a closer look.

I climb over the fence just before Anna tries to catch me.

"Alex!"

I'm too focused on crawling to answer her.

Someone's leading them, wait, is that Grem!?

 

Grem stops close enough to see Eric clearly, and notes the bandit bodies behind him.

"Hmph, impressive. Surround him."

He commands and ten bandits get off their horses, rushing to encircle him with their weapons drawn.

"Five swords, three spears and two axes."

Eric notes the bandits weapons.

I'm surprised that he doesn't show a hint of fear, despite the odds.

He looks left and right, waiting which bandit will make the first move.

Moment of truth Eric, show me what the body is capable of in this world.

Anna hides behind the fence with Ava, not daring to watch.

 

A spear bandit charges from his right.

Eric dodges by stepping forward.

He spins and cuts the bandit's head off.

"One."

Keeping his momentum, he brings his sword above his head and blocks an already incoming downward sword swing.

He lowers to his knee and aims at the second bandit's legs, cutting them off.

"Two."

Third bandit's spear comes from the left and Eric rises and lunges towards it.

The spear goes under his right armpit and he pierces the bandit's chest.

"Three."

He pulls his sword out and a fourth bandit charges with a overhead swing with his axe.

Stepping to his left, Eric swings upward as the bandit swings down, cutting both of the bandit's arms at the elbows.

"Four."

While the bandit's severed arms are still in the air, Eric grabs the axe off them and throws it, hitting a sword bandit precisely in the head.

Another bandit charges from the left with his axe on his right-side.

Eric steps in, catching the axe mid-swing.

He then pierces the bandit's head from below, entering through the jaw and exiting from the top.

"Five and six."

He takes the axe for himself, now wielding it together with his longsword.

"Four remaining, one spear and three swords."

Eric breaths out slowly, then a sharp inhale and he dashes towards the closest sword bandit.

The sword bandit also dashes and decides to swing from his left.

With the axe in his left hand, Eric counters by catching the blade under the axe.

He then maneuvers it over his head to his left-side and then pulls it off the bandit's hands, disarming him.

The bandit now wide open, Eric slashes a cross pattern across the bandit's chest.

"Seven."

The two remaining sword bandits don't waste time and engage Eric simultaneously.

He doesn't have enough time to plan a counter attack, so he is forced to retreat slowly while deflecting their strikes.

His eyes dart quickly between the swords as the sword bandits barrage him with strikes, trying to overwhelm him.

"I just need an opening!"

Sword bandit on his left brings his sword up high and the one on his right brings his low.

"Now!"

He catches the downward strike with the axe and blocks the one coming from below with his sword.

He doesn't hesitate and quickly aims and pierces the bandit's throat.

"Eight..."

He lets go off his sword as the bandit falls on the ground and grabs the others throat.

Eric wrestles him to the ground, he then pins the bandit's arms with the axe and begins to strangle him.

A disgusting sound of cartilage and bone breaking is heard when Eric breaks the bandit's neck with his bare hand.

"...And nine."

The tenth and last bandit screams and charges towards Eric with his spear while he is still on the ground.

"AAH!"

Eric lets go off the axe and rushes toward the spear bandit, unarmed.

He does the same thing as to the other spear bandit and dodges just enough that the spear goes under his left armpit.

He then pulls back his left fist and delivers a devastating left straight straight to the spear bandit's face.

The spear bandit reels back in pain and let's go off the spear.

Eric grabs it and begins spinning it above his head at incredible speed that the wind it produces screams into our ears.

With the blunt end of the spear, Eric strikes the bandit's jaw, tearing it clean off and it flies across the air before landing on the grass.

"AAAAH!"

The bandit screams, his tongue hanging off.

Next, Eric strikes the bandit's left knee, causing it to bend in a 90-degree angle to the side.

The bandit falls to his knees and looks up at Eric.

The last thing he sees is Eric's face of fury and rage, before he impales the bandit's open throat, going through his body before stabbing it into the ground.

"Ten."

Eric says aloud.

He exhales loudly and looks at the after math.

"Haa, haa!"

He then looks his hands, the blood on them mixing with the rain.

"Did... i black out there for a moment?"