Journey (4)

The clash between the bandits intensified. Rowan faced off against a bandit armed with a spear, their weapons clashing in rapid exchange despite his injury. The bandit, nimble and agile, thrust the spear with precision, but Rowan skillfully deflected the attacks with his sword.

Renbrandt, on the other hand, having wounded the bandit leader, found himself surrounded by two adversaries. One of them wielded an axe, the other a longsword. In a swift calculated move, Renbrandt swung his blade with incredible force using his vampiric strength, connecting with one bandit and ending their threat with a fatal blow to the neck.

As blood gushed from the bandits' wound it spread on the ground, causing Renbrandt's eyes to glow red for a moment before he regained his composure.

Meanwhile, Rowan continued his dance with the spear-wielding bandit. Their movements were a blur of steel, each anticipating the other's next move.

Clang! Tang! Then a kick from Rowan sent the spearman aback. "Oughh!" The spearman groaned.

Tessa, who was positioned strategically, sent arrows flying towards the spearman. One hit the spearman's chest, the other hit his leg, before Rowan finished the job by decapitating him with a swift, deadly blow, causing his head to roll on the ground.

The bandit leader, his chest still seeping with blood, growled in frustration. He signalled to the remaining members of his gang, urging them to regroup and launch a coordinated attack.

"Attack their wagons," the bandit leader ordered. 

Suddenly, the bandits disregarded Rowan and Renbrandt, aiming for the wagons and whoever was in it.

Inside the carriage, my heart pounded as I watched the bandits shift their focus to us. Panic surged through me, realising that my mother and I were vulnerable targets inside. I knew we needed to get out, especially with our enemies closing in on us.

"Mom, we have to get out of here," I urged her.

Diana, visibly flustered and stressed, nodded and attempted to rise. The pregnancy slowed her movements, and I gently offered my support, helping her out of the wagon and onto the rocky ground. We stood outside exposed, the area providing us with no cover.

As we emerged, the archer stationed on the mountain ridge took aim at us. Arrows whistled through the air, making me use a swift barrier of earth magic to deflect the projectiles, creating a makeshift shield.

"They have a mage!" The archer shouted.

Just as we thought we had avoided one threat, a magician among them unleashed a barrage of water spikes made of magic at us. With quick thinking, I summoned fireballs and launched them toward his spell, causing them to negate in the air and creating a barrier of mist that blocked their vision for a moment.

Realising this, I followed up with several blades made of wind that I threw towards them, but missed. 

"Tsk!" I tutted.

The chaos of the battleground intensified, and my focus shifted between protecting my mother and retaliating against the enemy, I needed to keep my mother safe, but it wasn't just her. I had to keep my sibling inside of her safe too.

Renbrandt found himself facing the bandit leader once again. The wounded leader, fueled by desperation, launched himself at my father with newfound vigour. Their blades clashed in a fierce exchange, Renbrandt managed to wound him more and more, yet he was distracted as if something was bothering him.

The bandit leader, sensing an opportunity, barked orders. "Kill the boy and his mother!" He shouted, noticing that the focus on Diana and I was causing a lapse in my father's concentration.

Tessa, in the meantime, found herself locked in a fierce duel with a bandit who had set his sights on none other than Mr. Prescott who was in the wagon. Swiftly stringing her bow, she unleashed a flurry of arrows at the assailant armed with a short sword, however he managed to deflect them.

As their one-on-one battle intensified, Tessa and the bandit became entangled in close combat, making Tessa use her dagger. The clash of steel rang through the air as they parried and dodged, each looking for a decisive blow.

Sensing an opening, Tessa deftly drew a concealed dagger, as they pushed their blades against each other, aiming with precision for the bandit's exposed temple. With a swift and calculated motion, she thrust the dagger into his brains, killing him in an instant.

Rowan, meanwhile, leaped up the mountain ridge to confront the archer. With agile grace, he closed the distance and engaged the archer in close combat. Rowan quickly overpowered the archer, delivering a fatal blow, sending him tumbling down the ridge.

The mage continued firing spells at me, unaware of Rowan that was closing in. I summoned earth spikes to counter their magical onslaught, diverting my attention between creating protective barriers and launching counterattacks. 

The two approaching bandits added another layer of urgency, forcing me to maintain a delicate balance between defence and offence. My mother and I were getting closer and closer to the edge of the mountain in the meantime.

The barrage of magic attacks quickly stopped as I realised the mage had been killed by Rowan. However, the fight wasn't over yet.

One of the bandits, with a dagger, and the skinnier of the two running towards my mother and I, managed to break through my defences, closing in on us with a menacing grin. 

"You're dead, kid!"

Glaring at him, I summoned earth spikes beneath his legs, impaling him before burning him to a crisp, causing him to drop his dagger on the ground. However, the other bandit was quickly approaching my mother who had no means to defend herself.

Acting on instinct, I grabbed the dagger from the fallen bandit and imbued mana into my legs to make me run faster. Running as fast as I could, I used it to parry the incoming axe swing aimed at my mother, however this caused me to go flying over the edge of the mountain.

Time seemed to slow down at that moment as I looked at the impending abyss below me. 

"Darian!" My mother screamed as she watched me begin to fall.

However, the bandit was still alive. If I was going to die anyway, I might as well take him with me. Summoning a tier 2 wind and fire spell called "aero-blade", a fire began to ripple along with the wind element before shooting itself at the bandit's head like a laser beam.

"AHHH!" The bandit screamed before Tessa shot him in the back of the head, ending his threat. My mother was safe.

As the world blurred around me, the forest below me rushed to my feet. The last thing I saw was the distant mountain pass and the looks of dread.

A sense of weightlessness overcame me, and darkness enveloped my vision as I descended into the unknown.