First Blood

A few minutes earlier...

{It feels lonely, now that we had to say goodbye...}

"Yeah, I know what you mean..."

Ryker trekked through the heavily forested Red Viper Mountains, shuffling his feet and kicking at rocks on the ground as he went.

[Incidentally, why did you feel it necessary to tell Meiling about the Friend System?] Mini C asked, to which Bestie concurred loudly.

{Yeah! If you were the actual host, that'd be grounds for immediate withdrawal!}

Ryker chewed the bottom of his lip as he thought, eventually shrugging his shoulders before he answered.

"I dunno, it just... didn't feel right?" he said, "I didn't want us to be friends just because of the system, you know?"

{Mmm... I guess I can understand that, a little...}

Bestie popped up with a tiny, chibi-style avatar, barely as tall as Ryker's head, using the holo projectors around his body to create a hologram of herself.

{But Meiling is right! You have to be careful about who you're telling these secrets, to. She's a good girl, so we don't have to worry about her, but as for others...}

"Yeah, I hear you. By the way, when did you set up these holograms?" Ryker asked, checking out Bestie's three-dimensional avatar.

Her strawberry blonde hair bounced playfully when she moved, her bangs hiding her eyes as usual, and she wore a simple white sundress along with cute flower bracelets and anklets as accessories.

[It was during our sessions with Meiling,] Mini C said, materializing his own hologram, [You may be used to talking to us without visuals, but we created hologram avatars so she wouldn't feel so awkward during training.]

Mini C's hologram was also chibi-style, wearing a sharp, dark blue suit vest over a white shirt and black tie, with matching dark blue pants. He completed the look with black dress shoes and gloves.

[Also, I'm picking up several human readings from around 300 meters ahead. One seems to be fleeing, while the others are in pursuit,] he added, adjusting his gloves.

"Hm. Should we check it out, then?"

Although Ryker wanted to find his friends as soon as possible, it wasn't as if he knew exactly where they were, so there was no rush. He figured a little detour every now and then wouldn't hurt.

[Just be careful. We don't know what we'll be getting into,] Mini C said, he and Bestie switching off their holograms.

"C'mon, it's not like we'll run into another sect elder or something, right?"

[Like the other two sect elders that would have had to cross these same mountains?]

"... Good point. Cautiously, then."

And with that, he cautiously rushed deeper into the forest with his Profound Wind Walking Technique.

--

Back in the present...

Ryker scanned the crowd of rough looking individuals, his eyes narrowing as he stood with his sword at the ready.

'What kinda firepower we looking at, here?' he thought, directing it at Mini C.

[The strongest among them is peak of Foundation Establishment. No other cultivators within 500 meters,] Mini C responded, outlining those cultivators present in Ryker's field of vision. Around a dozen men stood before him, while a few lay in hiding up in the trees.

"Who the hell do you think you are, punk?! Don't you know what it means to cross the Red Viper Bandits?" one of the bandits, a balding, middle-aged man, shouted as some others went to the aid of the bandit with a severed hand.

"Not really... What did you want with this kid, anyway?" Ryker asked, ignoring them tossing around the name of their bandit group. It wasn't as if he knew who they were, anyway.

"These bastards attacked my village!" the child behind him suddenly cried, "They were chasing after those who fled into the forest!"

"Shut up, you brat!" the balding bandit yelled, grimacing as he turned back to face Ryker, who was still standing there with his weapon ready.

"So, what'll it be, punk? You can try and play the hero, but I don't think you'll be able to take us all on, with your early Foundation Establishment cultivation!"

"Hm..."

Ryker crossed his arms, tilting his head to the side in thought.

"What do you think, Mini C? Bandits are probably fair game, right?"

[I'll leave it to your discretion,] Mini C said, as Ryker switched his sword for the Sturdy Iron Cudgel, [Just be aware that you'll most likely get dragged into saving the village, as well.]

"W-who are you talking to?!"

The bandits flinched and retreated back a step at hearing Mini C's disembodied voice, a moment which Ryker took advantage of to jump forward and strike the first blow, sweeping the front-most bandit to the side with a heavy swing of his staff.

The surrounding bandits, although shocked by his speed, quickly darted in from each side, swinging their swords at him as he fell back, using his reach to keep them away. He took one down with a flurry of blows while dodging another's attack, the remaining bandits continuing to press forward.

Clicking his tongue, he swung his staff around in a wide arc, knocking them all down and forcing them back, before taking a few steps back, himself, to stand protectively in front of the child they were chasing.

"Damn, who is this guy?" one of the bandits who was hanging in the rear said, looking like he was ready to flee. The other bandits also seemed to hesitate, the ones hiding in the treetops already on the move.

"Hey, if you wanna run, now's your chance," Ryker said with a broad smile, resting his staff on his shoulder, "I'm not gonna stop you."

The bandits exchanged glances, though they still stubbornly refused to retreat. Ryker frowned, ready to charge in and teach them a lesson, when he heard the voice of Mini C sounding in his head.

[Individual moving behind you, towards the child,] he warned, to which Ryker took out one of his Cold-Steel Flying Swords, gripping it like a throwing knife in his off hand.

As expected, a bandit dropped down from the trees behind the child, quickly picking the kid up off the ground with an arm around his neck.

"Alright, drop your-- urk!"

Whatever he was about to say was stifled by the gush of blood now spurting out of his mouth, and he dropped the child as he reached for his neck that was pierced by the thrown flying sword.

Ryker slowly lowered his hand, recalling the flying sword from the dead bandit's throat as he turned back to those who were still standing their ground.

"I've been taking it easy on you, but I can stop holding back, if you want," he said, his green eyes starting to gleam dangerously. The Sturdy Iron Cudgel disappeared from his hands, replaced by the Snow-Rimed Sword, and he stood there impassively as if to wait for their reaction.

The bandits all gulped, finally losing their nerve as they slowly backed away, keeping a wary eye on Ryker and disappearing into the forest.

Ryker just exhaled wearily, looking back at the little boy they had been chasing. The child was sitting on his rear, his jaw hanging open in shock as the blood splatter dripped down his face.

"Uh, sorry about that."

Ryker slowly made his way over and crouched down so as to be on the child's level, getting Mini C to enact a cleaning spell on the kid, who looked on in wonder as the arcane circle engulfed him, wiping the blood, grime, and sweat from off of his body.

"W-who are you?" the boy said, still trembling slightly from the smell of blood surrounding them.

"Name's Ryker. How about you--"

He was interrupted when the child threw himself at him, shaking him by the shoulders as panicked tears streamed down his face.

"Please, you have to help me! My mother and big sister-- my village--"

"Woah, slow down, little buddy," Ryker said, gently picking the boy up into his arms and getting to his feet.

"I think I've got the gist of what's going on. Mini C, any readings on non-cultivators, around here?"

[Two signals around 200 meters north,] answered Mini C, to which Ryker nodded and leapt off in that direction, making sure not to go too fast for his small passenger.

"Those two should be your mom and sis, right?" he asked, looking down at the boy. His dirt-free, but still messy black hair blew wildly in the wind as he nodded, holding tightly to Ryker as they went.

He still seemed to be in a state of shock, shaking quietly in Ryker's grip. Still, his gaze was locked straight ahead in determination, as if to make sure Ryker was really taking him to his mother and sister.

[... Are you feeling okay?]

Mini C eventually broke the silence in Ryker's head, a touch of concern finding its way into his usual monotone.

'Yeah, uh... no big deal,' Ryker thought back, glad that the shaking kid in his arms probably wouldn't notice his own trembling hands.

'Better that asshole than this kid, right?'